infections
Granuloma Inguinale
Introduction
Granuloma inguinale is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacteriaKlebsiella granulomatis. It leads to chronic inflammation and scarring of the genitals. Granuloma inguinale typically causes a painless, red lump on or near the genitals, which slowly enlarges, then breaks down to form a sore. Doctors suspect the infection if people have typical symptoms and live in areas where the infection occurs, and doctors confirm the diagnosis by examining a sample of fluid scraped from the sore. Treatment with antibiotics is usually effective. Using condoms during genital sex can help prevent passing granuloma inguinale and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) from one person to another. (See also Overview of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) .) Granuloma inguinale is extremely rare in high-resource countries but occurs in Papua New Guinea, Australia, southern Africa, the Caribbean, and parts of Brazil and India. 