infections
Chancroid
Diagnosis of Chancroid
A doctor's evaluation Culture of a sample of pus or fluid Doctors suspect chancroid in people with one or more painful genital sores (ulcers) that have no obvious cause, especially if they are or have been in areas of the world where the infection is common. Usually, doctors take a sample of pus or fluid from a sore and send it to a laboratory to be grown (cultured). However, culturing and identifying these bacteria are difficult, so the diagnosis relies more on symptoms and likelihood of being exposed to the infection. Specific tests for chancroid are not readily available, but blood tests may be done to exclude other causes, such as Syphilis and People with chancroid are at high risk of syphilis and HIV infection, so if initial test results for these other infections are negative, doctors recommend that people with chancroid come back in 3 months to be tested again. 