High prevalence of antibodies against Bartonella henselae with cervical lymphadenopathy in children.
BACKGROUND
Cat-scratch disease is the most common form of Bartonella henselae infection. Although reports have shown that CSD is relatively common, they have not shown the prevalence of seropositivity for Bartonella henselae in cases of cervical lymphadenitis and Kawasaki disease, which are relatively common diseases in children.


METHODS
We evaluated the presence of immunoglobulin (Ig) G- and IgM-class antibodies against Bartonella henselae in children with cervical lymphadenitis, Kawasaki disease, and infectious diseases without lymphadenopathy in a semi-rural area in Japan.


RESULTS
We found that the positivity rate for the IgG antibody against Bartonella henselae in patients with cervical lymphadenitis who owned cats or dogs was significantly higher than that in patients with Kawasaki disease and infectious diseases without lymphadenopathy. However, the average age of children with cervical lymphadenitis did not significantly differ when compared to those with other infectious diseases.


CONCLUSIONS
Our serological study showed that Bartonella henselae infection may contribute to the etiology of cervical lymphadenitis in children.
Asano
Takeshi
T
Department of Pediatrics, Nippon Medical School, Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Chiba, Japan. vff13540@nifty.ne.jp
Ichiki
Kunihiko
K
Koizumi
Shinya
S
Kaizu
Kiyohiko
K
Hatori
Takayuki
T
Fujino
Osamu
O
D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D018416:Bartonella henselae / Q000276:immunology*; D016190:Carboplatin; D002372:Cat-Scratch Disease / Q000276:immunology; D002415:Cats; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007223:Infant; D008199:Lymphadenitis / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000276:immunology; D057805:Pets
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D016190:Carboplatin