Cat scratch disease: what are the consequences of a dangerous neighborhood

The felines have been human companion animals since ancient times. Today, about 500 million cats are pets, while in Australia out of 10 families 9 have a cat or a cat, and in the USA this animal lives in every third family. Cat-scratch disease, also known as "felinosis" – about 25 people in the US annually seek medical help.

Of them, about 2 thousand people have a severe course of the disease and need inpatient treatment. There are no official statistics on the spread of this pathological condition in the CIS countries, but experts from the World Health Organization consider it also significant.

For more information on what cat scratch disease is, the mechanism of the spread of the disease, as well as its clinical course, read on estet-portal.com in this article.

Dangerous Cats: Mechanism of Spread of Cat Scratch Disease

Cat scratch disease – zoonosis caused by bartonella of the genus Bartonella: B.henselae and B.clarridgeiae.

Bartonella are gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria that are spread among cats by fleas.

In the feline family, this disease is most often tolerated in a subclinical or mild form. At the same time, a large number of bacteria accumulate in their salivary glands. Cats have an instinctive need to eliminate their own scent, as they always hunt alone, stealthily sneaking up on their prey.

Careful licking of their claws by cats results in saliva remaining on them, which may contain bartonella. With the bites and scratches of cats, these bacteria are transmitted to humans, causing cat scratch disease.

Cat-scratch disease: pathogenesis of the disease in humans

The entry of microorganisms into human skin leads to the emergence of a local focus of inflammation. The causative agent penetrates into regional lymph nodes and leads to the formation of their follicular hyperplasia. Subsequently, inflammatory infiltrates and granulomas form in the lymph nodes, which to some extent resemble those of brucellosis.

Implementation of human immune defense mechanisms leads to limitation of the focus of inflammation, sclerosis of the affected lymph nodes and regression of the disease. In the case of immunosuppression against the background of transient or chronic immunodeficiency states (taking cytostatic drugs, glucocorticoids, HIV infection), dissemination of Bartonella occurs in the human body, followed by damage to various organs and vessels. This variant of the course of cat scratch disease can lead to serious consequences and even death.

How cat scratch disease manifests itself: variants of the disease

The incubation period is 3 to 30 days. Painless papules with a diameter of 3-10 mm are formed at the site of the introduction of Bartonella into the human body. In some cases, vesicles and pustules may also form. After 1-3 weeks, regional lymphadenitis occurs.

In felinosis, the axillary group of lymph nodes is most often affected.

Regional lymph nodes increase in size and become painful on palpation. Subsequently, suppuration of the lymph nodes may occur. In people with a normal level of immunological response, no more than three adjacent groups of lymph nodes are affected.

At the same time, the general condition of a person, most often, is satisfactory, occasionally subfebrile condition occurs. The duration of the disease does not exceed 6 months. In immunosuppressed people, felinosis is much more severe.

Dissemination of Bartonella can lead to such clinical variants of the course of cat-scratch disease as:

1.    Oculoglandular Syndrome of Parini – follicular conjunctivitis with regional parotid lymphadenitis;

2.    Neuroretinitis, which can lead to unilateral vision loss;

3.    Acute encephalitis;

4.    Osteomyelitis, various arthropathies;

5.    Hepatitis;

6.    Mesadenitis;

7.    Endocarditis.

In such cases, the disease is often accompanied by fever, severe weakness, vomiting, weight loss. The severe course of felinosis can confuse many clinicians in diagnostics. Therefore, knowledge of the clinical variants of cat scratch disease is necessary for every doctor due to the wide spread of the disease and the need for its timely treatment.

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