Co-infection of chancroid and vulvovaginal candidiasis in an immunocompetent woman: A rare case report

Abstract

A rare co-infection of Haemophilus ducreyi and non-albicans Candida was identified in an immunocompetent 31-year-old woman presenting with painful vulvar ulcers and malodorous curdy discharge. Gram stain showed Gram-negative coccobacilli and budding yeast cells, whereas serology for herpes simplex virus, syphilis, and human immunodeficiency virus was negative. Culture confirmed Candida parapsilosis . The patient responded rapidly to azithromycin and weekly fluconazole. This case highlights the need to consider chancroid as a differential diagnosis in painful genital ulcers and underscores the importance of species-level Candida identification and evaluation for polymicrobial infections in persistent vulvovaginal conditions, given the rarity of such coinfections globally.