hard chancre

chancre /chan·cre/ (shang´ker) [Fr.]

1. the primary sore of syphilis, occurring at the site of entry of the infection.

2. the primary cutaneous lesion of such diseases as sporotrichosis and tuberculosis.

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hard chancre , hunterian chancre chancre (1).

chancre re´dux  chancre developing on the scar of a healed primary chancre.

soft chancre  chancroid.

true chancre  chancre (1).

tuberculous chancre  a brownish red papule which develops into an indurated nodule or plaque, representing the initial cutaneous infection of the tubercle bacillus into the skin or mucosa.

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hard chancre (härd)

n.

See chancre.

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hard chancre

Etymology: AS, heard + Fr, canker

a syphilitic chancre or primary lesion that develops at the site of a syphilis infection. The lesion begins as a small red papule that gradually hardens and erodes into an extremely contagious, although painless, ulcer. A secretion exuded by the sore contains Treponema pallidum, the organism that is the causative agent of syphilis in humans.