granuloma inguinale, a sexually transmitted disease characterized by ulcers of the skin and subcutaneous tissues of the groin and genitalia. It is caused by infection with Calymmatobacterium granulomatis, a small gram-negative rod-shaped bacillus. It occurs more frequently in men than in women and is associated with anal intercourse. Diagnosis is made by microscopic examination and identification of characteristic “safety-pin”-shaped bodies known as Donovan bodies in the cytoplasm of phagocytes taken from a lesion and dyed with Wright’s or Giemsa stain or by histological examination of a biopsy specimen. Untreated, the lesions spread, deepen, multiply, and become secondarily infected, resulting in mutilation and destruction of genital tissue. Streptomycin is usually effective in treating the infection. All patients who have or are suspected of having granuloma inguinale are also tested for syphilis because concurrent infection is common. Also called Donovanosis.
