Genital ulcer disease: A review

Genital ulcer disease (GUD) continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is an important risk factor for the acquisition of HIV. GUD is mainly caused by five sexually transmitted infections. Three pathogens most frequently associated with GUD are herpes simplex virus 2...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family medicine and primary care 2022-08, Vol.11 (8), p.4255-4262
Main Authors: Ahmed, Jaweed, Rawre, Jyoti, Dhawan, Neha, Dudani, Pankhuri, Khanna, Neena, Dhawan, Benu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Disease transmission
Epidemiology
Gastrointestinal diseases
genital ulcer disease
haemophilus ducreyi
Health aspects
herpes simplex virus
Review
Risk factors
Sexually transmitted diseases
sexually transmitted infections
treponema pallidum
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Summary:Genital ulcer disease (GUD) continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is an important risk factor for the acquisition of HIV. GUD is mainly caused by five sexually transmitted infections. Three pathogens most frequently associated with GUD are herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), Treponema pallidum, and Haemophilus ducreyi. Although their prevalence varies among different geographical regions, HSV-2 is the leading cause of this syndrome globally. In recent years, there has been an epidemiological transition of HSV-1 with a growing role of this virus as a causative agent of GUD. GUD may present with unique features depending on the etiological agent that can help clinicians identify the etiology and start treatment. However, owing to atypical presentations and co-infections, an accurate clinical diagnosis is often a challenge without confirmatory laboratory tests. Standard methods used to detect the causative pathogens of GUD have limitations. Molecular methods can provide a more sensitive and rapid microbiological diagnosis, with detection of the pathogen from the clinical sample directly. In situations where no laboratory support is available, the syndromic approach for management should be followed. The current scenario, clinical presentation (typical and atypical), laboratory diagnosis, and management of GUD will be discussed in this review. We searched PubMed literature and Google search engine using the terms "genital ulcer disease," "epidemiology of genital ulcer disease," and "clinical features of genital ulcer disease and atypical presentations" and relevant literature was selected to provide current perspectives of GUD.
ISSN:2249-4863
2278-7135
DOI:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2111_21