A 30-year-old woman from Kenya is referred to a sexual health clinic for evaluation of a painful vulvar ulcer. The ulcer is roughly 1 cm in diameter and has an erythematous base with ragged borders. Examination also reveals tender right-sided inguinal adenopathy. She first noticed the lesion 4 days ago, and her most recent sexual activity occurred just prior to leaving Kenya 2 weeks ago. She denies fever and feels well, except for pain at the ulcer site. Empiric treatment is given for syphilis and herpes simplex virus (HSV). She returns 1 week later with no improvement, and test results for syphilis, HSV, and HIV are negative. A diagnosis of chancroid is considered at this point.
Which one of the following is TRUE regarding the laboratory diagnosis of chancroid?
Figure 1. Haemophilus ducreyi and Gram's Stain
This illustration depicts a Gram stain of a clinical sample in a person infected with Haemophilus ducreyi; the field shows multiple white blood cells (blue) and chains of gram-negative coccobacillary organisms (red) aligned in parallel arrays—often referred to as a “school of fish”.
Source: Illustration by Jared Travnicek, Cognition Studio
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Question Last Updated
March 10th, 2025
March 10th, 2025
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