by mockingster

Created on: February 06, 2009

The bacteria Bartonella henselae is the cause of cat scratch disease.
Generally it is contracted after being scratched, licked or bitten by a cat. It may also be contracted from a cat by petting it and then rubbing your eyes after that, as the bacteria may also be present on their fur - that perhaps is the reason why people who contract the disease cannot even remember being bitten or scratched by a cat.

A small blister or bump, sometimes mistaken to be an insect bite, develops about three to ten days after at the point of the bite or scratch. This bump is known as an inoculation lesion and they are not painful. This blister or inoculation lesion usually heals within a couple of days. They generally do not leave behind a scar.

Usually after about two to four weeks later there is also swelling of one or more lymph nodes which are located close to the inoculation lesion. These range in size from about half an inch to two inches in diameter with a larger area of swelling that takes place under the skin.
It becomes very tender, warm to the touch and often is red in colour. The lymph nodes also would occasionally drain pus as well.

Swelling of the lymph nodes usually appear in the neck area or underarm.
However, if the inoculation lesion is somewhere on the arm, then the lymph nodes in the armpit or the elbow will swell. Similarly if the inoculation lesion is on the leg, then the lymph nodes in the groin will swell. Sometimes the swelling spreads to other lymph nodes which are connected to the lymph node at the injury site. The lymph node swelling usually lasts for about two to four months, occasionally lasting much longer.

Generally, swollen lymph nodes are the main symptom of cat scratch disease.
However a certain percentage of people develop a temperature which is usually less than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, sore throat, weight loss and general feeling of ill health.

Sometimes people with cat scratch disease have infections of the bones, lungs, spleen, liver or joints. Some may also have a high fever which lingers for a longer period with no other symptoms.
Yet other people may get an eye infection. Another symptom is they may develop seizures owing to inflammation of the brain. These however are more rare than common and are resolved without any lasting illness.

Cat scratch disease is generally resolved without any treatment whatsoever.
However, if the following symptoms do occur then it is time to seek medical attention.

If the cat bite or the scratch does not heal, fever that lasts for a long period of time (several days) after a bite or scratch, if you develop joint pain or pain in the bones, pain in the abdomen, redness around the scratch that keeps on increasing after two days, if fatigue lasts for more than two weeks or if the pain and swelling in the lymph nodes lasts for over two weeks.

The best thing to do is contact your doctor immediately if you have been scratched or bitten by a cat and you then develop the symptoms of the disease.

Learn more about this author, mockingster.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.