Cat Scratch Fever

If you get scratched, bitten or licked by a cat, you could get what doctors call “Cat- Scratch Disease” (CSD) or “Cat-Scratch Fever.” While this.
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The germ spreads to people when infected cats bite or scratch a person hard enough to break their skin.

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The germ can also spread when infected cats lick at wounds or scabs that you may have. Although rare, CSD can cause people to have serious complications. CSD can affect the brain, eyes, heart, or other internal organs.

Cat Scratch Disease

These rare complications, which may require intensive treatment, are more likely to occur in children younger than 5 years and people with weakened immune systems. Most cats with B.


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Your veterinarian may find that some of your cat's other organs may be inflamed. Talk to your doctor about testing and treatments for CSD.


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People are only tested for CSD when the disease is severe and the doctor suspects CSD based on the patient's symptoms. CSD is typically not treated in otherwise healthy people. Talk to your veterinarian about testing and treatments for your cat. Your veterinarian can tell you whether your cat requires testing or treatment.

Cat-scratch disease in children—Texas, September —August Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Cat-scratch disease - Wikipedia

Regnery R, Tappero J. Unraveling mysteries associated with cat-scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, and related syndromes. Epidemiologic notes and reports encephalitis associated with cat scratch disease — Broward and Palm Beach Counties, Florida, Skip directly to search Skip directly to A to Z list Skip directly to navigation Skip directly to page options Skip directly to site content.

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Kitten playing with a person's fingers. A cat's paw with long sharp nails. Diagnosis is clinical and confirmed by biopsy or serologic tests. Treatment is with local heat application, analgesics, and sometimes antibiotics. See also Overview of Bartonella Infections. The domestic cat, particularly kittens, is a major reservoir for B. The prevalence of B. The specific location of the organism in the cat is unclear; however, periods of asymptomatic bacteremia occur in cycles. Infection is spread to humans via a bite or scratch. The cat flea transmits infection among cats and may be the cause of disease in humans who have not had contact with cats, although this theory is unproved.

Children are most often affected. Within 3 to 10 days after a bite or scratch, most patients with cat-scratch disease develop an erythematous, crusted papule rarely, a pustule at the scratch site. Regional lymphadenopathy develops within 2 wk. The nodes are initially firm and tender, later becoming fluctuant, and may drain with fistula formation.

Fever, malaise, headache, and anorexia may accompany lymphadenopathy. Patients may also present with an FUO. Severe disseminated illness may occur in patients with AIDS. Lymphadenopathy subsides spontaneously within 2 to 5 mo.

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Complete recovery is usual, except in severe neurologic or hepatosplenic disease, which may be fatal or have residual effects. Diagnosis of cat-scratch disease is typically confirmed by positive serum Ab titers testing acute and convalescent sera 6 wk apart is recommended or PCR testing of samples from lymph node aspirates.

Because similar lymphadenopathy may be caused by other infections eg, tularemia , mycobacterial infection , brucellosis , fungal infection , lymphogranuloma venereum , testing for those organisms may be done if the diagnosis is not clearly cat-scratch disease. Lymph node biopsy may be done if cancer is suspected or if the diagnosis of cat-scratch disease needs to be confirmed.