Cat scratch disease

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Cat scratch disease

Antibodies

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Cat scratch disease

Alternative Names:

CSD; Cat scratch fever; Bartonellosis

Symptoms:

A person who has had contact with a cat may show common symptoms, including:

Bump (papule) or blister (pustule) at site of injury, usually the first sign
Swelling of the lymph nodes near where the skin was bitten or scratched
Fever (in approximately one third of patients)
Fatigue
Overall discomfort (malaise)
Headache

Less common symptoms may include:

Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Enlarged spleen
Sore throat
Draining lymph nodes

Signs and tests:

A scratch or injury and a history of contact with a cat indicates that cat scratch disease is the likely cause of the lymph node swelling. In some cases, physical examination also shows an enlarged spleen (splenomegaly).

Tests used in the diagnosis of cat scratch disease:

Positive bartonella blood tests
Bartonella henselae IFA test (uses fluid or tissue from a lymph node)
A lymph node biopsy to rule out other causes of swollen glands
A positive CSD skin test

Review Date: 11/2/2005
Reviewed By: Kenneth Wener, M.D., Division of Infectious Diseases, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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