Donovanosis

At a glance

No vaccine available – read more about prevention
Nationally notifiable disease

About donovanosis

Donovanosis is an STI caused by the bacterium Klebsiella granulomatis.

It causes ulcers on the skin around the genitals, groin, anus or mouth.

It is treated with antibiotics.

Why it matters to public health

Without proper treatment, donovanosis destroys the skin around the genitals, groin or anus. This can cause lasting scarring and disfigurement, which can be distressing.

It can also increase the risk of getting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Donovanosis is extremely rare in Australia today. In the 1990s, most cases were in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in remote areas of northern Australia.

Infections have since declined due to public health efforts, and no cases were reported in Australia between 2015 and 2025.

Donovanosis is still reported in other countries, including parts of:

Papua New Guinea
India
Central America
Southern Africa.

Because of this, we:

monitor for donovanosis in Australia
develop and implement national STI strategies.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

Donovanosis usually starts with one or more painless lumps or ulcers. These can appear on the genitals, around the anus, in the mouth or on other parts of the body.

Without treatment, the ulcers enlarge and destroy normal skin.

They can also become infected with other bacteria, resulting in painful sores that can have a foul smell.

Untreated, donovanosis might lead to:

genital scarring or disfigurement
the infection spreading to other areas – including the uterus, bone or muscle
cancer of the affected area.

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a health professional.

Check your symptoms

Onset of symptoms

Symptoms usually start between 1 and 4 weeks after getting infected. But this can be up to 1 year.

How it spreads

Donovanosis spreads through unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex with a person who has the disease.

It can also spread from a pregnant person to the baby during birth.

In rare cases, it can spread through non-sexual skin-to-skin contact.

Infectious period

People with donovanosis are usually infectious until they have completed a full course of antibiotics and all sores have completely healed.

Prevention

Protect yourself

There is no vaccine for donovanosis.

The best ways to protect against donovanosis – including if you are travelling overseas – are to:

practise safe sex – including using condoms and dental dams
avoid sexual activity with anyone with genital or anal lumps or ulcers
get regular sexual health checks
know the symptoms and what to do if they develop.

Protect others

People with symptoms of donovanosis should:

see their healthcare professional or visit a sexual health clinic
not have any sexual contact until a healthcare professional has told them it’s safe
speak to their healthcare professional about testing for STIs and HIV.

Priority groups and settings

The risk of donovanosis in Australia is very low.

But it’s still important for people to:

take steps to protect themselves
see a healthcare professional if they are exposed to any STI or develop symptoms.

People at greater risk of severe disease

Donovanosis poses a greater risk of severe illness for:

people without good access to appropriate health services for sexual health checks and treatment
babies born to people with donovanosis.

People at greater risk of exposure

In Australia, people at greater risk of exposure might include:

people who travel to countries where donovanosis occurs
people who have sexual contact with someone who has been in a country where donovanosis occurs
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in remote areas, including northern Australia where cases have been reported in the past.

People can have more than one STI at the same time. Exposure to donovanosis increases the risk of being exposed to other STIs.

Diagnosis and treatment

Donovanosis is diagnosed through laboratory testing of a swab or biopsy taken from the affected area.

Healthcare professionals might also recommend testing for other STIs and HIV.

You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.

Find a health service

Donovanosis is treated with antibiotics.

People with donovanosis are recommended to see their healthcare professional 3 months after treatment to make sure the infection has not returned.

Surveillance and reporting

Donovanosis is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

Health authorities in each state and territory report new laboratory confirmed and probable cases to us through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

This is part of our national surveillance activities to monitor case numbers around the country and understand disease patterns.

Outbreaks

Responding to cases or outbreaks of donovanosis might involve:

making sure anybody infected gets proper treatment
contact tracing to identify others who might have been exposed
testing contacts and treating them if needed
providing education about STIs.

Support

For information about donovanosis in your state or territory, see:

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.

For travel advice, see Smartraveller.