Bartonella and Cat-Scratch Disease
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary mode of transmission of B.henselae from cats to humans?

  • Person-to-person transmission
  • Cat bites or scratches (correct)
  • Inhalation of cat dander
  • Exposure to cat urine or feces

    • What is the characteristic of B.henselae in immunocompetent individuals?

  • It is highly contagious, spreading through person-to-person transmission
  • It is a large, rod-shaped gram-positive bacterium
  • It is a high virulence organism, causing severe disease
  • It is a low virulence organism, causing self-limited disease (correct)

    • What is the characteristic of cat-scratch disease in immunocompetent individuals?

  • It is a highly contagious, spreading through person-to-person transmission
  • It is a self-limited disease, eventually resolving without antibiotics (correct)
  • It is a chronic, debilitating disease
  • It is a rapidly progressing, severe disease

    • What is the characteristic of Bacillary angiomatosis in immunocompromised individuals?

    <p>It is characterized by raised, cherry-red vascular lesions in the skin and visceral organs</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the morphology of B.henselae?

    <p>It is a small, pleomorphic gram-negative rod</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary location of lesions in bacillary peliosis?

    <p>Liver and spleen</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the diagnosis of CSD typically made?

    <p>By detecting antibodies against B. henselae antigens in a patient's serum</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the drug of choice for treating severe lymphadenitis in CSD?

    <p>Azithromycin</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of the Warthin-Starry silver stain in diagnosing BA?

    <p>To distinguish BA from Kaposi's sarcoma</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why are antibiotics not recommended for people who have sustained a cat scratch?

    <p>Because the infection is usually self-limiting</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Bartonella henselae

    • Causes cat-scratch disease and bacillary angiomatosis
    • Small, pleomorphic gram-negative rod

    Transmission

    • Main mode of transmission: cat scratches or bites, especially from kittens
    • Can be transmitted from cats to humans by the bite of cat fleas
    • Exposure to cat urine or feces does not pose a risk of transmission
    • No person-to-person transmission

    Pathogenesis and Epidemiology

    • Low virulence organism, disease is self-limited in immunocompetent individuals
    • Cat-scratch disease is one of the most common zoonotic diseases in the United States

    Clinical Findings

    • Immunocompetent individuals: fever and tender, enlarged lymph nodes, typically on the same side as the scratch
    • Papule may precede lymphadenopathy
    • Disease has a prolonged course but eventually resolves, even without antibiotics
    • Small percentage of infected individuals develop systemic disease, such as endocarditis or encephalitis

    Clinical Findings in Immunocompromised Individuals

    • Bacillary angiomatosis (BA): raised, cherry-red vascular lesions in the skin and visceral organs
    • Bacillary peliosis (peliosis hepatis): similar to BA, but lesions occur primarily in the liver and spleen

    Laboratory Diagnosis

    • Diagnosis of CSD is usually made serologically
    • Antibodies against B. henselae antigens can be detected in a patient's serum
    • Organism can be cultured on artificial media, but takes 5 days or longer to grow
    • Diagnosis of BA is often made by finding pleomorphic rods in biopsy tissue using the Warthin-Starry silver stain

    Treatment

    • No antibiotic therapy is typically recommended for CSD
    • Azithromycin is the drug of choice for severe lymphadenitis
    • Treatment of BA with doxycycline or erythromycin is effective
    • No significant antibiotic resistance

    Prevention

    • No antibiotics are recommended for people who have sustained a cat scratch
    • No vaccine is available

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    Description

    Learn about Bartonella henselae, the cause of cat-scratch disease and bacillary angiomatosis, and its properties and transmission.

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