Three cases of cat scratch disease diagnosed by indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay and/or polymerase chain reaction of 16S rRNA gene of Bartonella henselae.
Three suspected cases of cat scratch disease were diagnosed by indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay and/or polymerase chain reaction. Patient 1 was a 10-year-old female who presented swelling of the right axillary [corrected] lymph nodes with pain and fever. She kept a kitten, and many scratches were observed on her both legs and dorsum manus. Antibody titers against Bartonella (B.) henselae were 1:32 for IgM 3 weeks after the onset of the symptoms and 1:64 for IgG 8 weeks after the onset. The DNA for 16S rRNA type I of B. henselae was detected from the blood sample obtained 3 weeks after the onset of symptoms by polymerase chain reaction for the first time in Japan. Patient 2 was a 22-year-old female veterinary student with a cat scratch at the bottom of her neck by a male kitten. She developed a papule at the scratch, slight fever, and neck pain. Although both Bartonella-specific IgG and IgM antibodies were negative before the scratch, the IgG antibody titer rose to 1:512 14 weeks after the onset. B. henselae was isolated from the kitten and its DNA found to be for 16S rRNA type I by PCR. Patient 3 was a 23-year-old female veterinary student with a cat scratch on her left forearm. A small reddish papule developed on the scratch, and she experienced swelling of the left axillary [corrected] lymph node and pain. Both the IgG and IgM antibodies against B. henselae were negative before the cat scratch, and the IgG titer rose significantly to 1:128 and 1:1,024 in 2 and 5 weeks, respectively, after the onset of the symptoms.
Maruyama
S
S
Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan.
Kabeya
H
H
Nogami
S
S
Sakai
H
H
Suzuki
J
J
Suzuki
H
H
Sugita
H
H
Katsube
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D018416:Bartonella henselae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002372:Cat-Scratch Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D002415:Cats; D002648:Child; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S