Cat Scratch Disease
You probably thought cat scratch fever was just a song or no big deal. But it turns out that a simple claw mark from the family feline can send you to the hospital, or worse - Veterinary Medicine, NC State
image by: Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
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The More You Learn about Cat Scratch Disease, the More Confusing It Gets
Cats are common pets, found in about 35 percent of households in the United States. Cats are generally docile, but they can be unpredictable and occasionally bite or scratch people for no good reason. Numerous diseases can be transmitted this way from cats to humans. Infections following cat puncture wounds are relatively common, and up to 80 percent of cat bites become infected.
Cat bite infections are usually polymicrobial. Pasteurella, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and multiple, often unusual, anaerobic organisms are isolated from most infections (an amazing average of five organisms per bite). Common antibiotics used to treat soft tissue infections empirically, such as cefalexin,…
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Antibiotics
While Kawasaki Disease is fun to think about, there is another condition that leads to lymphadenopathy much more commonly: Cat Scratch Disease. Azithromycin is usually the 1st option. Rifampin, Bactrim, or Cipro are also options.
Cat Scratch Fever aka Bartonella
You probably thought cat scratch fever was just a song or no big deal. But it turns out that a simple claw mark from the family feline can send you to the hospital, or worse. The neighbor’s dog, your kid’s cat, and the fleas in the front yard could all have Bartonella.
What diseases can we catch from our pets?
The most common infection from cats is Cat Scratch Disease, which is caused by the Bartonella bacterium. People usually become infected after being scratched or bitten by a cat and experience swelling around the site of the scratch, and fatigue. It cannot be transmitted between people.
Cat-Scratch Disease Presenting as Fever of Unknown Origin
In children, nearly 90% of cases will be self-limited, and approximately one-third of fever of unknown origin in children can be attributed to undiagnosed cat-scratch disease. Occasionally, a more severe form of cat-scratch disease may occur with dissemination of the infection to other organs.
Kitten Conundrum: Cat-Scratch Disease Is Making People Sicker
While the total number of people infected with the disease has gone down, the number of people becoming seriously ill has increased. Symptoms typically involve fatigue, fever and swollen lymph nodes. But in a small number of cases, cat-scratch disease can cause the brain to swell or infect the heart. Infections like those can be fatal if they aren't properly treated.
Does the Bacterium behind Cat Scratch Fever Cause Chronic Fatigue?
The microbe that is known to cause cat scratch fever remains cloaked in mystery. Do the bacteria that cause cat scratch disease—a typically mild illness with flulike symptoms—also cause chronic fatigue syndrome?
The Doctor's World: Cat Scratch Disease
The disease, also known as cat scratch fever, occurs frequently in fall and winter. The symptoms usually appear a few days to several weeks after the person is scratched or comes in contact with a cat that is not ill. However, some cases have been attributed to injuries from thorns, splinters and scratches from animals other than cats.
Uncovering the 'Stealth Pathogen'
Bartonella bacteria are highly evolved, survive in multiple insect vectors and in dessicated flea feces, and enter our bodies in a stealth-like manner, switching off our immune response as it takes residence in our tissues.
The More You Learn about Cat Scratch Disease, the More Confusing It Gets
This author said CSD is one of the most common causes of chronic lymphadenitis in children, secondary to a scratch or bite from an infected cat or exposure to cat fleas.
ASPCA
Symptoms usually clear up on their own, but serious complications—including enlargement of the spleen and heart valve infection—can arise, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.
CDC
A person with CSD may also have a fever, headache, poor appetite, and exhaustion. Later, the person's lymph nodes closest to the original scratch or bite can become swollen, tender, or painful. CSD is typically not treated in otherwise healthy people.
Healthline
Most people get better without treatment, and those who do need treatment generally get better with antibiotics. In some cases, people develop serious complications from the bacteria. These complications are more likely to occur in people who have compromised immune systems.
KidsHealth
In most kids, swollen lymph nodes are the main symptom of the disease and the illness often is mild. If people have other general symptoms, they might include fever (usually less than 101°F or 38.3°C ), fatigue, loss of appetite, headache, rash, sore throat, and an overall ill feeling. Atypical cases do occur, but are not common.
MedlinePlus
Generally, cat scratch disease is not serious. Medical treatment may not be needed. In some cases, treatment with antibiotics such as azithromycin can be helpful. Other antibiotics may be used including clarithromycin, rifampin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, or ciprofloxacin. In AIDS patients and other people who have a weakened immune system, cat scratch disease is more serious, and treatment with antibiotics is recommended.
Natural Health News
Normally, the disease is not life-threatening and medical treatment is rarely needed. Normally, its treatment involves antibiotics including: Azithromycin. Ciprofloxazin. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Rifampin. Clarithromycin. The disease can turn out to be serious in individuals with a weaker immune system or patients of AIDS. Typically, doctors prescribe antibiotics for treating such patients.
PetMD
Symptoms may become apparent within 7-14 days after the injury, but may take as long as eight weeks to present. Typical symptoms are swelling of the lymph nodes nearest to the bitten or scratched site, fever, headache, and a general malaise. Generally, the symptoms merit no more than a brief rest period until they resolve on their own, usually without medical treatment. Some patients require a course of antibiotics.
Worms & Germs Blog
Transmission of B. henselae from cats to humans is thought to occur through contamination of scratches and bites (broken skin) with flea dirt (i.e. partially digested blood from the infected animal that is excreted by fleas = flea poop). Infection in individuals with weakened immune systems can be extremely serious or even fatal. In otherwise healthy people, the infection tends to remain localized, but can still cause massive swelling and abscessation of local lymph nodes.
Patient
Supportive therapy with antipyretics and analgesics should be given as needed and local heat may relieve the pain of enlarged lymph nodes. •Aspiration of fluctuant tender nodes may help to relieve pain but incision and drainage should be avoided, as this may leave scars and fistulae. A minority of patients may, however, require surgical treatment. •The condition is usually self-limiting in immunocompetent patients and, in the majority of patients, the lymph nodes gradually regress over weeks or months without antibiotics being needed. •Antibiotics are, however, indicated in immunocompromised patients and atypical cases involving severe or systemic disease.
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