Chancroid ( SHANG-kroyd) is a bacterial sexually transmitted infection characterized by painful sores on the genitalia. Chancroid is known to spread from one individual to another solely through sexual contact. However, there have been reports of accidental infection through another route which is by the hand. While uncommon in the western world, it is the most common cause of genital ulceration worldwide. Signs and symptoms
These are only local and no systemic manifestations are present. The ulcer characteristically:

Ranges in size dramatically from 3 to 50 mm (1/8 inch to 2 inches) across
Is painful
Has sharply defined, undermined borders
Has irregular or ragged borders, described as saucer-shaped. Has a base that is covered with a gray or yellowish-gray material
Has a base that bleeds easily if traumatized or scraped
Painful swollen lymph nodes occur in 30–60% of patients. Dysuria (pain with urination) and dyspareunia (pain with intercourse) in femalesAbout half of infected men have only a single ulcer. Women frequently have four or more ulcers, with fewer symptoms. The ulcers are typically confined to the genital region most of the time. The initial ulcer may be mistaken as a "hard" chancre, the typical sore of primary syphilis, as opposed to the "soft chancre" of chancroid.Approximately one-third of the infected individuals will develop enlargements of the inguinal lymph nodes, the nodes located in the fold between the leg and the lower abdomen.Half of those who develop swelling of the inguinal lymph nodes will progress to a point where the nodes rupture through the skin, producing draining abscesses.
Most individuals diagnosed with chancroid have visited countries or areas where the disease is known to occur frequently, although outbreaks have been observed in association with crack cocaine use and prostitution.Chancroid is a risk factor for contracting HIV, due to their ecological association or shared risk of exposure, and biologically facilitated transmission of one infection by the other. Approximately 10% of people with chancroid will have a co-infection with syphilis and/or HIV. Pathogenesis
H. ducreyi enters skin through microabrasions incurred during sexual intercourse. The incubation period of H. ducreyi infection is 10 to 14 days after which there is progression of the disease. A local tissue reaction leads to development of erythomatous papule, which progresses to pustule in 4–7 days. It then undergoes central necrosis to ulcerate. Diagnosis
Variants
Some of clinical variants are as follows. Laboratory findings
From bubo pus or ulcer secretions, H. ducreyi can be identified using special culture media; however, there is a <80% sensitivity. PCR-based identification of the organisms is available, but none in the United States are FDA-cleared. Simple, rapid, sensitive and inexpensive antigen detection methods for H. ducreyi identification are also popular. Serologic detection of H. ducreyi uses outer membrane protein and lipooligosaccharide. Most of the time, the diagnosis is based on presumptive approach using the symptomatology which in this case includes multiple painful genital ulcers.