Cat scratch fever – is it some kind of joke? Certainly it is simply a slang expression. But no, it isn’t. It is actually a real disease; a very rare disease. Actually, this has been known to affect people for over 100 years now, and for a good while it was thought bacteria were the cause. The two bacteria responsible for cat scratch disease (or cat scratch fever) are Afipia felis and Bartonella henselae, although it is B. henselae that causes most of the damage. While this disease is quite uncomfortable, it is not seen very often. (Estimates are that there are approximately 3 cases per 100,000 people in the US each year.)
Cat scratch fever is usually contracted after a cat scratch (typically from kittens). Pustules form at the site, lymph nodes become swollen and painful, and a fever develops.
It may take several weeks for the swollen lymph nodes to return to normal, and in some cases the nodes must be treated or they will suppurate.
There are instances where CSD has led to or been connected with other diseases such as tonsillitis, encephalitis, hepatitis, and pneumonia. However; those individuals with compromised immune systems have the highest risk of becoming very ill. These patients can develop a number of diseases with infection of B. henselae:
Bacillary epithelioid angiomatosis
Symptoms - skin nodules, high fever
Bacillary peliosis hepatis
Symptoms – fever, malaise, hepatic cysts, weight loss, abdominal pain
Bacteremia
Symptoms – fever, headache, joint pain
The symptoms caused by CSD are similar to that of other diseases (tuberculosis, brucellosis, lymphoma), and diagnostic measures are still not that extensive. Doctors have to rely on the knowledge that patients were exposed to a cat, and biopsy of the lymph nodes.
Treatment of CSD is not always needed. When it is done however, it involves aspiration of the lymph nodes and administration of erythromycin.
The bacterium Bartonella henselae, responsible for CSD is a gram negative rod that exhibits aerobic respiration. It is found commonly on cats, so the contraction of CSD must not be an easy task.
Here is an image of another of the Bartonella genus, Bartonella bacilliformis:
References:
Cat Fancier’s Association Health Committee http://www.cfainc.org/health/csd.html
The Prokaryotes
*Disclaimer - This report was written by a student participaring in a microbiology course at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. The accuracy of the contents of this report is not guaranteed and it is recommended that you seek additional sources of information to verify the contents.
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