title: Hepatosplenic cat-scratch disease in children: selected clinical features and treatment.
abstract: We reviewed 19 cases of hepatosplenic cat-scratch disease at Texas Children's Hospital (Houston). The range of the patients' ages was 2 years 4 months to 11 years 8 months. The chief complaint was fever for all patients. The duration of fever before diagnosis was 7 to 56 days (mean, 22 days). Abdominal pain was present in 13 patients (68%). Thirteen children were treated with rifampin alone, and three received rifampin therapy plus gentamicin or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Once rifampin therapy was initiated alone or in combination, improvement was noted within 1 to 5 days (mean, 2.6 days) for patients who had had prolonged fever the duration of which before rifampin therapy averaged 3 weeks. The most common dosage and duration for our patients were 20 mg/[kg x d] every 12 hours and 14 days, respectively. Rifampin should be considered in the initial antimicrobial treatment of hepatosplenic cat-scratch disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, USA.
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Arisoy
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002372:Cat-Scratch Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D002415:Cats; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D012293:Rifampin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D012293:Rifampin