A clinical profile of donovanosis in a non-endemic area.

The diagnosis of donovanosis is seldom made in a non-endemic region, because it is usually overlooked as an aetiologic diagnosis of genital ulcers. Clinical suspicion is a yardstick in its diagnosis and has been illustrated in the present study. Its frequency was found to be 3.14% of all sexually transmitted diseases. Unmarried males of vulnerable sexual age were commonly affected. They came from a low socioeconomic strata. The incubation period and duration of disease was variable. The genitalia were primarily affected. The ulcerogranulomatous variety was seen commonly, though unusual expression of the disease was also recorded. The importance of repeated tissue smears and/or histopathology in certain clinical variants is emphasized.