Genital ulcer disease in men in Durban, South Africa.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To study the microbial aetiology of genital ulcer disease (GUD) in men.

DESIGN:

Microbiological and clinical assessment of genital ulcers in men.

SETTING:

City Health sexually transmitted diseases clinic, King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban, South Africa.

PARTICIPANTS:

100 Zulu men with genital ulcers who had not received antibiotics in the previous four weeks.

RESULTS:

Syphilis was diagnosed in 42%, chancroid in 22%, donovanosis (granuloma inguinale) in 11%, genital herpes in 10% and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) in 6%. No pathogens were identified in 24%. Mixed infections were detected in 14 men, in whom 13 had syphilis. Five men had HIV-1 antibodies. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was isolated from the ulcers and urethra in seven men and from the urethra alone in five. Scabies was diagnosed clinically in eight.

CONCLUSIONS:

All the major causes of GUD are prevalent in Zulu men in Durban. Primary syphilis was the commonest and was invariably present in mixed infections. Donovanosis was under-reported and was associated with a long delay before presentation. In this population, genital ulcers other than superficial lesions should be treated with anti-syphilitic therapy and oral antibiotics effective against chancroid and donovanosis.

• Authors: N O'Farrell, A A Hoosen, K D Coetzee, J van den Ende
• Journal: Genitourinary medicine (Genitourin Med) Vol. 67 Issue 4 Pg. 327-30 (Aug 1991) ISSN: 0266-4348 [Print] England
• PMID: 1655627 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Animals
• Calymmatobacterium (isolation & purification)
• Genital Diseases, Male (epidemiology, microbiology)
• HIV (isolation & purification)
• Haemophilus ducreyi (isolation & purification)
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Neisseria gonorrhoeae (isolation & purification)
• Prevalence
• Sarcoptes scabiei (isolation & purification)
• Simplexvirus (isolation & purification)
• South Africa (epidemiology)
• Treponema pallidum (isolation & purification)
• Ulcer (epidemiology, microbiology)