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AFIPIA FELIS (Cat Scratch Disease)

Note for Pet Owners:
Afipia felis is a zoonosis. Zoonoses are diseases that are transmissible between animals and humans. Some of these diseases are extremely serious and potentially life-threatening others cause only transient, mild disease. At the time an animal appears ill there is no way of knowing whether or not it is a zoonosis. For this reason it is important to follow basic hygiene precautions such as washing hands after handling animals, not allowing animals to soil eating implements or plates. If your animal is ill use protective plastic gloves and clear up and dispose of any mess (eg urine and faeces) as soon as possible .

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Description

Cat scratch disease is a self-limiting condition in humans in which a local lymphadenopathy (inflammation and painful enlargement of the lymph nodes) occurs following a cat bite, scratch or possibly licks. In humans, most cases of cat-scratch disease occur in children aged of 2 to 14, and in veterinarians, and  most cases occur in the autumn or winter months.

Cause

Afipia felis is a gram-negative pleomorphic bacterium that has been isolated from a few human patients with cat-scratch disease. The most common cause of this syndrome  is another gram-negative bacterium Bartonella spp, including B.henselae, B.clarridgeia and B.vinsonii subsp berkoffi.

Members of the genus Bartonella are facultative intracellular bacteria, alpha 2 subgroup Proteobacteria. 

Bartonella species Reservoir Disease
Bartonella bacilliformis human Carrionīs disease/Verruga peruana
Bartonella quintana human Trench fever, bacteremia, bacillary angiomatosis, endocarditis
Bartonella henselae cats Cat scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, bacteremia, endocarditis
Bartonella elizabethae rats Endocarditis
Bartonella grahamii Retinitis
Bartonella vinsoni dogs Endocarditis, bacteremia
Bartonella washonsis rodents Myocarditis
Bartonella clarridgiae cats Bacteremia
Bartonella rochalimae human Carrionīs disease like syndrome

 

Breed Occurrence
There is no reported breed predilection, although most cases are thought to occur following contact with a young kitten.

Signs

Cats : None reported. 

Humans : 3-30 days (usually 7-12 days) following a bite, scratch or lick pimples occur near to the site and these can last for 4 weeks. Local lymph nodes swell and become painful. Some discharge pus. This stage may be accompanied by fever, headache and reduced appetite. Swelling of the lymph nodes usually goes down within 6 weeks, but it has been reported to last up to 1 year. 

Complications
 Humans : Immunocompromised patients may develop complications.

Diagnosis

Humans : Diagnosis is made from the clinical signs and history, and confirmed by isolation of the organism from blood samples, or aspirates or biopsies taken from the lymph nodes.

Treatment

Humans : The disease is self-limiting and no treatment is necessary, however antibiotics may shorten the course of the disease.

Prognosis

Good

Long term problems

None reported

 
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