Chancroid is treated with antibiotics. Patients are usually examined 3-7 days after treatment to see if it has been successful. Unsuccessful treatment can occur if you do not take the drugs correctly, or if your infection is resistant to the antibiotic you were treated with. Patients with HIV and uncircumcised male patients do not respond as well to treatment as others, and may need additional follow-up.
If you have been diagnosed with chancroid, any sexual partners you had within 10 days before you started to have symptoms should be examined and treated as well – whether or not they have symptoms.
The drug regimens below are taken from the the Centers for Disease Control 2006 STD treatment guidelines. Remember that only your doctor can say which treatment is right for you.
Recommended RegimensPregnant women should not be treated with ciprofloxacin.
Azithromycin 1 g orally in a single dose
OR
Ceftriaxone 250 mg intramuscularly (IM) in a single dose
OR
Ciprofloxacin* 500 mg orally twice a day for 3 days
OR
Erythromycin base* 500 mg orally three times a day for 7 days
*Some strains of H. ducreyi, the bacterium that causes chancroid, have been reported to be resistant to these antibiotics.
