chancre

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chancre

 [shang´ker]
1. the primary lesion of syphilis, occurring at the site of entry of the infection. Called also hard, hunterian, or true chancre.
2. a papular lesion occurring at the site of entry of infection in tuberculosis of the skin or in sporotrichosis.

A true chancre begins as a papule which breaks down into a reddish ulcer. It is generally firm and accompanied by little or no pain. Although most frequently located on the external genitalia, it may be on the lips or fingers. In women, a chancre is sometimes concealed in the internal genitalia where it may not be seen or felt. Two or three may develop simultaneously. A chancre heals of its own accord without treatment, thus leading many persons infected with syphilis to believe they are cured. They are not, and if adequate medical treatment is not begun at this early and curable stage of syphilis, the disease will progress, doing irreparable damage.
Chancre of primary syphilis. From Frazier et al., 2000.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

chan·cre

(shan'ker),
The primary lesion of syphilis, which begins at the site of cutaneous or mucosal infection after an interval of 10-30 days as a papule or area of infiltration, of dull red color, hard, and insensitive; the center usually becomes eroded or breaks down into an ulcer that heals slowly after 4-6 weeks. Finding Treponema pallidum on dark-field examination is diagnostic, except in oral ulcers, in which T. microdentium is normally present.
[Fr. indirectly from L. cancer]
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

chancre

(shăng′kər)
n.
1. A dull red, hard, insensitive lesion that is the first manifestation of syphilis.
2. An ulcer located at the initial point of entry of a pathogen.

chan′crous (-krəs) adj.
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

chancre

STD The classic 1º skin lesion of syphilis, which consists of a painless 1–2 cm ulcer; the 1º chancre is highly contagious, contains zillions of spirochetes, and heals as a papule; chancres outside the vagina or on the scrotum render condoms useless in disease-preventing systems. See Kissing chancre, Syphilis.
McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

chan·cre

(shang'kĕr)
The primary lesion of syphilis, which begins at the site of infection after an interval of 10-30 days as a papule or area of infiltration, of dull red color, hard, and insensitive; the center usually becomes eroded or breaks down into an ulcer that heals slowly after 4-6 weeks.
Synonym(s): hard chancre, hard ulcer.
[Fr. indirectly from L. cancer]
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

chancre

(shang'ker) [Fr. chancre, ulcer fr. L. cancer]
Enlarge picture
TYPICAL CHANCRE OF PRIMARY SYPHILIS
A hard, syphilitic primary ulcer, the first sign of syphilis, appearing approx. 2 to 3 weeks after infection. See: illustration; syphilischancrous (shang'krus), adjective

Symptoms

The ulcer begins as a painless erosion or papule that ulcerates superficially. It generally occurs alone. It has a scooped-out appearance due to level or sloping edges that are adherent, and a shining red or raw floor. The ulcer heals without leaving a scar. It may appear at almost any site including the mouth, penis, urethra, hand, toe, eyelid, conjunctiva, vagina, or cervix. Synonym: hard chancre; hunterian chancre; true chancre

CAUTION!

During the chancre stage, syphilis is highly contagious. The chancre contains many spirochetes.

hard chancre

Chancre.

hunterian chancre

Chancre.

simple chancre

Chancroid.

soft chancre

Chancroid.

true chancre

Chancre.illustration
Medical Dictionary, © 2009 Farlex and Partners

chancre

The painless, hard-based primary sore of syphilis, which appears on the genitals within four weeks of exposure. It is a shallow ulcer with a base resembling wet wash-leather. This teems with the spirochaetes that cause the disease.
Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

Chancre

The initial skin ulcer of primary syphilis, consisting of an open sore with a firm or hard base.
Mentioned in: Syphilis
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

chan·cre

(shang'kĕr)
Primary lesion of syphilis. Finding Treponema pallidum on dark-field examination is diagnostic, except in oral ulcers, in which T. microdentium is normally present.
[Fr. indirectly from L. cancer]
Medical Dictionary for the Dental Professions © Farlex 2012
References in periodicals archive ?
(39) This chancre heals without treatment after another 3 to 6 weeks.
A study of 689 HIV-positive men attending two big Phoenix-area HIV clinics found that provider counseling consisting of chancre photos, sexual risk assessment, and counseling on the impact of syphilis encouraged men to look for sores more often in oral and rectal areas.
the appearance of a chancre at the site of inoculation and dissemination of the organism.
A little imagination could explain how the chancre might have appeared in this most unlikely place.
* In the typical clinical presentation of primary syphilis in an immunocompetent patient, an indolent papule develops 10 to 90 days after inoculation and subsequently ulcerates into an indurated chancre. Patients with HIV may develop multiple chancres that are larger, deeper, and more ulcerative.
While the tender ulcer of chancroid has a ragged and undermined border with a dirty gray base, the classic, non-tender, syphilitic chancre has a clean base with an indurated border reminiscent of the firm quality of cartilage.
A characteristic trypanosomal chancre was present on the skin of the submandibular region (Figure 1b).
Primary syphilis occurs as a chancre at the site of initial infection.
Primary syphilis presents as painless chancre about 2 centimeters in size in the genital area, usually two to three weeks after sexual activity and it is associated with local lymphadenopathy.
The primary stage is characterized by a single chancre that manifests approximately 90 days after exposure and remits spontaneously within two to eight weeks.
Clinical characteristic manifestations are the chancre (primary sore), which develops at the point of inoculation.