title: [Cat scratch disease caused by Bartonella henselae].
abstract: Bartonella henselae is an etiologic agent of cat-scratch disease and, in immunocompromised patients, of bacillary angiomatosis and other severe syndromes. Cat-scratch disease usually presents as lymphadenopathy, which resolves spontaneously within 2-4 months. The utility of antibiotic therapy remains controversial. In Tyrol four cases of human cat-scratch disease were diagnosed in children in 1994, yielding a prevalence of 0.7/100,000 per year. A 3-year-old boy had lymphadenitis coli since one year despite antituberculosis therapy which was initiated because of the histopathological picture and a positive tuberculin reaction (despite negative mycobacteria-cultures and -PCR). Two girls, age 9 and 13 years, had lymphadenitis at upper or lower extremities after cat-scratches from kittens. A 13-year-old boy presented with febrile illness and right hip pain, computer tomography revealed an osteolytic lesion; symptoms subsided within 3 weeks. Diagnosis of cat-scratch disease is based on cat contact, negative studies for other similar diseases, characteristic histopathologic features (if available), and results of an indirect immunofluorescence test (antigen: Houston-1 isolate, ATCC 49882). We believe that the availability of this serological test will increase the number of diagnosed cases of human Bartonella henselae infections.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendheilkunde, Universität Innsbruck.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sölder
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Allerberger
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Covi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maurer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scheminzky
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kreczy
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schön
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Dierich
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D001474:Bartonella Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D018416:Bartonella henselae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001733:Bites and Stings; D002372:Cat-Scratch Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D002415:Cats; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007223:Infant; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008199:Lymphadenitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male