Chancre

Chancre
The classic non-painful ulcer of syphilis. The chancre forms in the first (primary) stage of syphilis, is highly contagious and can last 1-5 weeks. The disease can be transmitted from any contact with one of the ulcers, which are teeming with spirochetes. If the ulcer is outside of the vagina or on the scrotum of the male, the use of condoms may not help in preventing transmission of the disease. Likewise, if the ulcer is in the mouth, merely kissing the infected individual can spread syphilis. (The word chancre is the French for a little ulcer. Chancre and the English canker come from the Latin cancer for crab. Why? Perhaps because chronic ulcers can be hard like the shell of a crab).
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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. SYN: hard c., hard sore, hard ulcer, syphilitic ulcer (1). [Fr. indirectly from L. cancer]
- hard c. SYN: c..
- mixed c. a sore resulting from simultaneous inoculation of a site with syphilis and chancroid.
- monorecidive c. a c. that recurs at the site of a previously healed lesion.
- c. redux a second c. occurring in a syphilitic subject, possibly an allergic reaction without the presence of the specific spirochete.
- soft c. SYN: chancroid.
- sporotrichositic c. the initial lesion at the site of skin infection in sporotrichosis.
- tularemic c. the primary lesion, usually of finger, thumb, or hand, in tularemia.

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chan·cre 'shaŋ-kər n a primary sore or ulcer at the site of entry of a pathogen (as in tularemia) esp the initial lesion of syphilis
chan·crous -k(ə-)rəs adj

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n.
a painless ulcer that develops at the site where infection enters the body, e.g. on the lips, penis, urethra, or eyelid. It is the primary symptom of such infections as sleeping sickness and syphilis.

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chan·cre (shangґkər) [Fr. for “canker,” a destructive sore, from L. cancer crab] 1. the usually painless primary lesion of syphilis, occurring at the site of entry of the infection, typically a small red papule or crusted erosion that breaks down to become round, hard, and elevated with an eroded surface that exudes serous fluid; it later gives rise to a bubo (regional lymphadenitis) and heals without scarring. Called also hard c. 2. any of various primary cutaneous lesions that are seen at the site of inoculation of infection in such diseases as herpes, sporotrichosis, trypanosomiasis, tuberculosis, and tularemia. chancrous adj

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • chancre — [ ʃɑ̃kr ] n. m. • XIIIe; lat. cancer « ulcère » → cancer 1 ♦ Méd. Vx Petit ulcère ayant tendance à ronger les parties environnantes. ⇒ cancer. Mod. Érosion ou ulcération de la peau ou d une muqueuse, au premier stade de certaines maladies… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • chancre — CHANCRE. s. m. Espèce d ulcère malin, qui ronge la partie du corps sur laquelle il s est formé. Chancre simple, scorbutique, vénérien. Il a le visage rongé par un chancre. f♛/b] On dit figurément et populairement, qu Un homme mange comme un… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • Chancre — on the underside of the penis A chancre (  / …   Wikipedia

  • Chancre — Chan cre, n. [F. chancere. See {Cancer}.] (Med.) A venereal sore or ulcer; specifically, the initial lesion of true syphilis, whether forming a distinct ulcer or not; called also {hard chancre}, {indurated chancre}, and {Hunterian chancre}. [1913 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Chancre — (fr., spr. Schangker), 1) Krebs; 2) venerisches Geschwür, s.u. Syphilis. Daher Chanerös, mit dem Chancre behaftet …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • chancre — (n.) venereal ulcer, c.1600, from Fr. chancre (15c.), lit. cancer, from L. cancer (see CANCER (Cf. cancer)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • chancre — Chancre, Cancer, cancri, Gangraena, gangraenae. Une espece de chancre és parties superieures, Carcinoma, carcinomatis …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • Chancre — (frz., spr. schangkr), Krebs; syphilitisches Geschwür, Schanker (s.d.); schankrös, damit behaftet …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Chancre — (frz. Schangkr), Krebs, venerisches Geschwür …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • chancre — ► NOUN Medicine ▪ a painless ulcer, particularly one developing on the genitals in venereal disease. ORIGIN Latin cancer creeping ulcer …   English terms dictionary

  • chancre — [shaŋ′kər] n. [Fr: see CANCER] the primary lesion, sore, or ulcer of any of various diseases, esp. of syphilis chancrous [shaŋ′krəs] adj …   English World dictionary

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