chancroid /shang″kroid/ [Fr, chancre, canker; Gk, eidos, form] , a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease caused by infection with the bacillus Haemophilus ducreyi. It characteristically begins as a papule, usually on the skin of the external genitalia; it then grows and ulcerates, other papules form, and, if untreated, the bacillus spreads, causing buboes in the groin. It is often associated with tender and enlarged inguinal lymph nodes. An intradermal skin test is more reliable than smear and culture techniques in diagnosing this condition. Azithromycin or ceftriaxone are prescribed to treat chancroid. Because the lesion resembles syphilis and lymphogranuloma venereum, the diagnosis must be made before treatment to prevent obscuring simultaneous infections. Symptoms may not appear until 10 days after infection. Also called venereal ulcer. Compare chancre.
