Cat Scratch Disease: Risk factors, Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention

Cat Scratch Disease: Risk factors, Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention-Cat-scratch disease is an infection you can get after a cat scratches, bites, or licks you. It is caused by bacteria in cat saliva. Cats likely get the bacteria from fleas.

Cat-scratch disease is also called cat-scratch fever. It is not a severe illness in healthy people. But it can be a problem for young children or people with weak immune systems. These include people with cancer, diabetes, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Risk factors of Cat Scratch Disease

A number of factors increase the risk of developing cat scratch disease. Not all people with risk factors will get cat scratch disease. Risk factors for cat scratch disease include:

Any type of play with a cat, especially a kitten, that may provoke biting or scratching

Weakened immune status, such as occurs in people who have AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), are undergoing cancer treatment, or have had an organ transplant

Causes of Cat Scratch Disease

Cat-scratch disease is caused by the bacteria Bartonella henselae. The disease is spread through contact with an infected cat (a bite or scratch) or exposure to cat fleas.

It also can be spread through contact with cat saliva on broken skin or mucosal surfaces like those in the nose, mouth, and eyes.

Symptoms of Cat Scratch Disease

The signs and symptoms that follow may include

Fever

Chills

Nausea

Vomiting

Fatigue

Loss of appetite

Headache

Joint pains

Sore throat

Swelling and tenderness of the lymph nodes (swollen glands).

As the disease progresses, more nodules may develop under the skin at the point of injury.

What Are the Complications from Cat Scratch Fever?

There are a number of possible complications from cat scratch fever.

Encephalopathy

Encephalopathy is a brain disease that can occur when the bacteria responsible for cat scratch fever spread to the brain. In some cases, encephalopathy results in permanent brain damage or death.

Neuroretinitis

Neuroretinitis is an inflammation of the optic nerve and retina in the eye that causes blurred vision. The inflammation can occur when the bacteria responsible for cat scratch fever travels to the eye, causing impaired vision. Vision usually returns to normal after the infection is gone.

Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis is a bacterial infection in the bones, which can result in bone damage. In some cases, the bone damage is so severe that amputation is necessary.

Parinaud Oculoglandular Syndrome

Parinaud oculoglandular syndrome is an eye infection that produces symptoms similar to pink eye. Cat scratch fever is one of the most common causes of the syndrome. Parinaud oculoglandular syndrome can be due to Bartonella henselae entering the eye directly, or by the bacteria traveling through the bloodstream to the eye. The syndrome usually responds well to antibiotic treatment. In rare cases, surgery is necessary to remove infected tissues from the eye.

Diagnosis and test of Cat Scratch Disease

If your doctor believes you may have cat scratch fever, they will perform a physical examination to see if you have an enlarged spleen (an organ above your stomach).

Cat scratch fever is difficult to diagnose from the symptoms alone. Doctors can make an accurate diagnosis by performing an indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) blood test to see if the Bartonella henselae bacteria are present in your body.

In this test, antibodies that are labeled with dye will attach to existing antibodies of Bartonella (sometimes called anti-antibodies) and “light up” during the test.

Treatment of Cat Scratch Disease

In most people, cat-scratch disease clears up without treatment. You can take an over-the-counter pain reliever to help relieve pain and discomfort. Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) can help. Applying heat compresses to the affected area may also help. If a lymph node is very large or painful, your doctor may drain it to help relieve the pain.

Moist Compress

It can be given to a child or the patient to be able to ease the soreness of the nodes.

Lymph node Aspiration

It may only be required when there is a presence of suppuration. The use of aspiration may be considered to be as a therapeutic as well as a diagnostic approach. When a person reports of recurrent pain and pus reaccumulation, there may be a need for repetition of aspiration procedure.

Surgical Excision

It is done especially if the person has already a presence of an enlarge nodule which may be indicated when there is a continuous repetition of aspiration and still fail to relieve the pain that the person reports to have. The physician may suggest excising a persistent granuloma.

Prevention of Cat Scratch Disease

Exclusion from childcare, preschool, school or work is not necessary

Avoid cat bites and scratches – do not ‘play rough’ with cats or kittens

Wash cat bites and scratches immediately with soap and running water

Do not allow cats to lick any open wounds

Cover any open wounds with a dressing

Control fleas in your pets even though cat-scratch disease doesn’t seem to be passed to humans by flea bites, there is evidence that it is spread between cats by fleas.