The sexually acquired disease characterized by genital ulcers and tender inguinal lymphadenopathy, caused by a small, gram-negative bacillus, is known as

• A. Chancroid
• B. Bacterial vaginosis
• C. Syphilis
• D. Trachoma

Answer: (A)

Painful genital ulcers with tender inguinal lymphadenopathy point to chancroid, an STI caused by Haemophilus ducreyi, a small gram-negative bacillus. The ulcers are typically painful with ragged, undermined edges, and the draining lymph nodes often become swollen and may suppurate (buboes). This organism is fastidious and grows poorly on routine media, requiring special culture conditions to isolate. By contrast, syphilis causes a painless chancre and is due to a spirochete, not a gram-negative bacillus; bacterial vaginosis presents with discharge and odor rather than ulcers and lymphadenopathy; trachoma is an ocular infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis.