Cat Scratch Fever

The Disease

CSD is usually contracted after being scratched by a cat, but on rare occasions can come from other animals. Most people who get CSD are children between the ages of two and 14 and it usually comes from kittens under six months old. More cases occur during fall and winter than in spring and summer.

Symptoms start to appear three to 30 days after the scratch, most commonly in one to two weeks. The symptoms include pimples at the site of the scratch, lasting one to four weeks and swollen, tender lymph nodes, often under warm red skin, lasting four to six weeks. Less than half of those infected develop a fever and almost all heal without medication. Cat Scratch Fever is only dangerous to people with autoimmune disorders. Most people recover in two to five months, but it can take up to a year for the swelling to completely disappear from the lymph nodes.

History of Cat Scratch Fever

In order to cause cat scratch fever a cat must carry the bacteria Bartonella hensela. At least that is the current, and supposedly final, scientific thinking.

CSD has been a part of folklore for over a hundred years. The scientific community took an interest in the disease in the 1950’s. Chlamydia and Pasteurella bacteria and the herpes virus were all suspected culprits at one time. Then in 1988 the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology announced that they had discovered a new bacterial agent in CSD patients. After four years of studying this agent the bacteria was named Afipia felis, after the organization which discovered it.

Further research was unsuccessful in reproducing the connection between A. felis and CSD. It was not until extensive research of Bacillary angiomatosis and HIV patients and CSD research converged that Bartonella hensela was determined to be the cause of CSD.

Misunderstood Disease

Cat scratch fever is not a dangerous illness and the symptoms are usually very mild. Sadly, many people have been led to believe that cat scratches are dangerous to children and can even cause death. In reality most illnesses, such as strep throat, that children are exposed to at school, day care, and other activities are far more harmful and dangerous. As a result of this unfounded fear of cat scratches, parents often have cats declawed, refuse to let their children have cats as pets, or get rid of the family cat after any minor incident.

Cat Scratches

If you or your child is scratched, you should treat it like any other minor wound. Wash the scratch thoroughly and gently pat it dry. Apply an antibiotic ointment. Alcohol is not recommended as it will increase inflammation. The scratch should heal in a few days. If symptoms such as fever or swollen lymph nodes do appear see a doctor to rule out other, possibly serious, illnesses. Cat scratch disease does not require medical attention, but you do not want to overlook a dangerous illness by assuming that the symptoms are related to the cat scratch.