What is Cat scratch disease?

What is Cat scratch disease?

• Cat scratch disease: An infectious disease transmitted through a cat's bite, scratch or lick and resulting primarily in lymph node pain and swelling. The condition can be mild or severe.
• Cat scratch disease: A self-limiting bacterial infection of the regional lymph nodes caused by AFIPIA felis, a gram-negative bacterium recently identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and by BARTONELLA HENSELAE. It usually arises one or more weeks following a feline scratch, with raised inflammatory nodules at the site of the scratch being the primary symptom.
  Source - Diseases Database
• Cat scratch disease: a disease thought to be transmitted to humans by a scratch from a cat.
  Source - WordNet 2.1

Cat scratch disease is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Cat scratch disease, or a subtype of Cat scratch disease, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Cat scratch disease as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet

Cat scratch disease: Introduction

Types of Cat scratch disease:

Broader types of Cat scratch disease:

• Zoonotic Diseases
• Viral disease
• Diseases contagious from cats
• Diseases contagious from animals
• more types...»

How serious is Cat scratch disease?

Complications of Cat scratch disease: see complications of Cat scratch disease

What causes Cat scratch disease?

Causes of Cat scratch disease: see causes of Cat scratch disease
Cause of Cat scratch disease: Any minor skin injury; only about half actually from cat scratches.
Risk factors for Cat scratch disease: see risk factors for Cat scratch disease

What are the symptoms of Cat scratch disease?

Symptoms of Cat scratch disease: see symptoms of Cat scratch disease

Complications of Cat scratch disease: see complications of Cat scratch disease

Incubation period for Cat scratch disease: typically about 2 weeks

Cat scratch disease: Testing

Diagnostic testing: see tests for Cat scratch disease.

Misdiagnosis: see misdiagnosis and Cat scratch disease.

How is it treated?

Treatments for Cat scratch disease: see treatments for Cat scratch disease
Research for Cat scratch disease: see research for Cat scratch disease

Name and Aliases of Cat scratch disease

Main name of condition: Cat scratch disease

Class of Condition for Cat scratch disease: viral

Bartonella henselae, catch scratch fever, Bartonellosis due to Bartonella henselae infection, Petzetakis syndrome, Debré syndrome, Foshay-Mollaret cat-scratch fever, regional nonbacterial lymphadenitis, benign inoculation lymphoreticulosis, CSD, Cat scratch fever, Bartonellosis

Benign lymphoreticulosis, Cat scratch fever, Bacillary epithelioid angiomatosis Source - Diseases Database

Bartonellosis, CSD, Cat scratch fever
Source - Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Cat scratch disease:

• Lyme disease
• Meningitis
• Lympgadenopathy
• Convulsions
• Headache
• Fever
• Azithromycin
• Ciprofloxacin
• Doxycycline

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