What Is Cat Scratch Fever
Approximately 90% of people who have cats will be infected and suffer from cat scratch disease.
The disease is caused when a cat who’s been infected with the bacterium – bartonella henselae – licks, bites, or scratches someone.
A cat will usually be infected through fleas. In the U.S.A. Roughly 22,000 cases of cat scratch disease are diagnosed each year.
Most patients are under the age of 21. This is because younger children have a greater risk of being bitten or scratched by cats because of the way that they play with them. Symptoms Of Cat Scratch Fever After a couple of days of being scratched or licked or bitten by the cat a small bump or blister will form called an inoculation lesion. This is commonly mistaken for a bug bite. They will commonly appear on the hands, arms, head, or scalp. These lesions are typically not painful.
Within a few weeks the scratch or one of the lymph nodes close to the area where the wound is will start to swell and become tender to the touch. If the lesion is on the arm then the lymph nodes in the elbow or the armpit will begin to swell.
The swollen lymph nodes will begin to show up more often in the neck. However, if the lesion is on the leg it is more likely that the nodes located in the groin will swell.
The skin around the swollen lymph nodes will turn red and become warm and may begin to drain pus after some time. Swollen lymph nodes are the most common symptoms of cat scratch fever – but some people may experience other more general symptoms along with this.
One third of people infected with cat scratch disease will experience fatigue, fever, headache, loss of appetite, rash, and sore throat.