[citation needed] Chancroid is a bacterial infection caused by the fastidious Gram-negative streptobacillus Haemophilus ducreyi.

It is a disease found primarily in developing countries, most prevalent in low socioeconomic groups, associated with commercial sex workers.

[6] Infection levels are very low in the Western world, typically around one case per two million of the population (Canada, France, Australia, UK and US).

[citation needed] Most individuals diagnosed with chancroid have visited countries or areas where the disease is known to occur frequently, although outbreaks have been observed in association with crack cocaine use and prostitution.

Most of the time, the diagnosis is based on presumptive approach using the symptomatology which in this case includes multiple painful genital ulcers[3].

Despite many distinguishing features, the clinical spectrums of following diseases may overlap with chancroid:[citation needed] Practical clinical approach for this STI as genital ulcer disease is to rule out top differential diagnosis of syphilis and herpes and consider empirical treatment for chancroid as testing is not commonly done for the latter.

Use of condom, prophylaxis by azithromycin, syndromic management of genital ulcers, treating patients with reactive syphilis serology are some of the strategies successfully tried in Thailand.

[9] Due to a paucity of reliable empirical evidence it is not clear whether macrolides are actually more effective and/or better tolerated than other antibiotics when treating chancroid.

[citation needed] Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin, streptomycin, and kanamycin has been used to successfully treat chancroid; however aminoglycoside-resistant strain of H. ducreyi have been observed in both laboratory and clinical settings.

[citation needed] Pregnant and lactating women, or those below 18 years of age regardless of gender, should not use ciprofloxacin as treatment for chancroid.

[9] Although the prevalence of chancroid has decreased in the United States and worldwide, sporadic outbreaks can still occur in regions of the Caribbean and Africa.