Comparisons
Free risk assessment
Do I Have Chancroid?
Chancroid is a bacterial infection that causes one or more painful genital sores, sometimes with tender, swollen glands in the groin. It's uncommon in the United States and usually linked to travel to, or a partner from, parts of Africa, the Caribbean or Asia. Answer a few questions about your symptoms and exposure to see how concerned to be and what to do next. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
- 100% anonymous
- Under 3 minutes
- No sign-up
- Pathogen
- H. ducreyi
- Gram-negative bacterium
- Curable
- Yes
- Single-dose options available
- Hallmark
- Painful ulcer
- Unlike the painless syphilis chancre
- U.S. status
- Rare
- Common in some other regions
How it works
How this assessment works
-
Grounded in public-health guidance
The questions, and how heavily each answer counts, follow the risk factors and symptoms the CDC and WHO describe for Chancroid.
-
A risk guide, not a diagnosis
Your answers produce a risk level, how concerned to be, and flag anything that needs urgent care. Only a lab test can confirm or rule out an infection.
-
Private by design
It runs in your browser. We never ask for your name, email, or anything that identifies you.
About chancroid
What is chancroid?
Noticed a painful sore on your genitals after sex, maybe with a tender lump in your groin? Chancroid is one cause worth ruling in or out. It's a bacterial infection whose hallmark is one or more painful ulcers that are soft to the touch, with ragged edges and a grey-yellow base, and it often comes with tender, swollen lymph nodes on one side of the groin. The pain matters: it's part of what separates chancroid from syphilis, whose primary sore is usually painless.
The honest context is that chancroid is rare in the United States — only a handful of cases most years — and is far more common in parts of Africa, the Caribbean and Asia, so recent travel to, or a partner from, one of those areas raises the odds. It's diagnosed mainly by examining the sore and ruling out syphilis and herpes, which can look similar, and it's straightforward to cure with antibiotics. Any genital ulcer deserves a prompt in-person look, so this check weighs your answers to show how concerned to be and what to do next.
Many infections are silent. A low result here doesn't rule chancroid out: if you've had a new partner or any concern, testing is the only way to be sure.
Screening guidance
Who should get tested for chancroid?
Testing for chancroid is guided by symptoms, a known exposure, or a partner's diagnosis rather than routine screening, you test when you have a reason to.
- 1
You have a painful sore on your genitals
One or more painful ulcers — soft, with ragged edges and a grey-yellow base that may bleed if scraped — is the classic sign of chancroid. A painful ulcer is worth an in-person look, which is the only way to tell chancroid, syphilis and herpes apart.
- 2
You have a painful sore plus tender groin swelling
About half of people with chancroid get tender, swollen lymph nodes on one side of the groin that can enlarge into a pus-filled abscess (a bubo). A painful ulcer together with a tender groin lump is a strong prompt to be seen.
- 3
A recent partner is from, or you travelled to, an area where it's common
Chancroid is rare in the U.S. but more common in parts of Africa, the Caribbean and Asia. Recent travel there, or a partner from one of those regions, raises the odds and is worth mentioning to a clinician.
- 4
You have any genital ulcer, even if you assume it's herpes or syphilis
These conditions look alike and can't be told apart by eye alone. Any genital ulcer should be checked for syphilis and typed for herpes, which also catches chancroid when those come back negative.
Timing
When a chancroid test is reliable
Chancroid isn't diagnosed by a countdown-style blood test — it's diagnosed by examining the sore and ruling out syphilis and herpes, so there's no lab 'window' to wait out. The ulcers usually appear about 4–10 days after exposure. If a painful sore appears, see a clinician when it shows up rather than waiting, both to confirm what it is and because a genital ulcer needs prompt care.
Any genital ulcer should be evaluated in person promptly. A clinician will check for syphilis and herpes at the same visit and can start antibiotics if chancroid is likely.
Your chancroid testing window
After a possible exposure, a chancroid test becomes reliable around 4–10 days (ulcer needed).
Before day 4 a test can miss it · from day 4 it's reliable · re-test after day 10 if you tested early.
Free tool · not a clinic
When can I test? Exposure-window calculator
Testing too soon can miss an infection. Enter the date of possible exposure to see the earliest a test can reliably detect each STI.
| Infection | Earliest reliable test | Conclusive after |
|---|
Guidance only, confirm timing with a clinician. A negative result before the conclusive date may need a repeat test.
Stats & rates
Chancroid in the United States
- Rare
- in the United States
Medically Reviewed · Updated
Reviewed by Mark Riegel, MD · Sexual Health Physician · Chief Medical Reviewer
Physician focused on sexual health, STI testing, treatment and prevention, and EasySTD's chief medical reviewer. Owns the condition guides and is the clinical backstop for any page without a more specific specialist. Our editorial guidelines →
1 Sources
Data & references
- CDC, Chancroid (STI Tx Guidelines, 2021)https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/chancroid.htm
Good to Know
Chancroid FAQs
What people ask most before testing for chancroid.
What does a chancroid sore look like?
It's usually one or more painful ulcers that feel soft rather than hard, with ragged, undermined edges and a grey or yellow base that can bleed if it's scraped. The pain is the key clue — a chancroid sore hurts, whereas the primary sore of syphilis is classically painless. About half of people also get tender, swollen lymph nodes in the groin on one side.
How is chancroid spread?
Through sexual contact with the ulcer of someone who has it — the bacteria (Haemophilus ducreyi) pass from the open sore during sex. It isn't spread by casual contact.
How is chancroid diagnosed?
Largely by examining the sore: a probable diagnosis is made when there are one or more painful ulcers, tests show no sign of syphilis, and a herpes test is negative — especially if there are tender, swollen groin nodes. A specific bacterial culture is difficult and not widely available, so clinicians rely on the clinical picture plus ruling out the look-alikes.
How is it different from syphilis or herpes?
A painful ulcer points away from syphilis, whose sore is usually painless. Herpes tends to cause a cluster of small painful blisters that break into shallow ulcers, rather than one larger soft ulcer. These conditions overlap and only testing can be sure, so any genital ulcer should be typed for herpes and checked for syphilis.
Is chancroid curable?
Yes. It's treated and cured with antibiotics, and the sores usually improve within days of starting treatment. A large, tense, tender lump in the groin (a bubo) sometimes needs to be drained. Because a genital ulcer also raises the risk of HIV, testing for HIV and other STIs is recommended too.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.