Chancre

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Chancre
Chancres on the penis due to a primary syphilitic infection

Template:Search infobox Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]


A chancre is a painless ulceration formed during the primary stage of syphilis. This infectious lesion forms approximately 21 days after the initial exposure to Treponema pallidum, the gram-negative spirochaete bacterium yielding syphilis. Chancres transmit the sexually transmissible disease of syphilis through direct physical contact. These ulcers usually form on or around the anus, mouth, penis, and vagina. Chancres may diminish between three to six weeks without the application of medication. [1] [2]

In addition, chancres are associated with the sleeping sickness, African trypanosomiasis, subsequent to the bite of a tsetse fly.

Pathological Findings

References

  1. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:77 ISBN 1591032016
  2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:68 ISBN 140510368X