Chancroid in Sheffield. A report of 22 cases diagnosed by isolating Haemophilus ducreyi in a modified medium.

Abstract

The causative organism of chancroid, H. ducreyi, is generally considered to be very fastidious and its isolation, maintenance and detailed study very demanding. A modified medium was developed, which allowed the organism to be isolated more frequently than previously would have been expected. Twenty-two cases of chancroid were confirmed by the isolation of H. ducreyi in 160 patients with genital ulceration examined over a 1 yr period. The cases were apparently unrelated; in only 5 was there a history of recent sexual contact abroad. Concurrent infection with other sexually transmitted diseases was present in 18 (81.8%) patients; in 14 (63.6%), both H. ducreyi and herpes simplex virus were isolated from the same genital ulcers. Thus, these findings indicate that chancroid is underdiagnosed in England and that H. ducreyi may frequently occur as a secondary invader of damaged genital skin and mucosa.