Diagnosis
The diagnosis is based on the patient's sexual history and on physical examination revealing a painless, "beefy-red ulcer" with a characteristic rolled edge of granulation tissue. In contrast to syphilitic ulcers, inguinal lymphadenopathy is generally absent. Tissue biopsy and Wright-Giemsa stain is used to aid in the diagnosis. The presence of Donovan bodies in the tissue sample confirms donovanosis. Donovan bodies are rod-shaped, oval organisms that can be seen in the cytoplasm of mononuclear phagocytes or histiocytes in tissue samples from patients with granuloma inguinale.
They appear deep purple when stained with Wright's stain. These intracellular inclusions are the encapsulated gram-negative rods of the causative organisms. They were discovered by Charles Donovan.
Read more about this topic: Granuloma Inguinale