Cat Scratch Disease (formerly known as cat scratch fever)
Cat Scratch Disease is an uncommon disease of humans which is characterized by resolving skin rashes, lymph node enlargement, and low-grade fever and generalized muscle pain. It is a bacterial infection that you can get from being scratched or bitten by a cat, or in few instances a dog. The disease resolves on its own over a period of 3-4 weeks and most often occurs after a period of prolonged contact with a young cat. The disease is caused by a bacteria called Bartonella henselae and in the cat is known as Feline Bartonellosis.
Most cats that have tested positive for B. hensalae are not ill and have no distinctive clinical features. However, a certain strain of B. hensalae has been shown to cause fever, loss of appetite, hypersensitivity to noise or light, in coordination and/or enlarged lymph nodes in affected cats. The course of disease is usually 14-21 days. It has been shown that cat to cat transmission is through ingestion of flea feces. It is unknown how people become infected; however, a strong relationship exists between cats with flea infestation and occurrence of cat scratch disease in people. Thus, flea control is still the best prevention of disease in both humans and cats.
Antibiotics have not been generally useful in the treatment of cat scratch disease in humans or in eliminating the bacteria from carrier cats.
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