Q: I have had some swelling in my neck for the past two weeks and my doctor thinks it may be cat scratch fever. She has put me on antibiotics. I have three cats and one of them scratched me accidentally quite badly. Can you tell me about this disease? Will I be immune if my cat scratches me again?
A: Cat scratch fever or cat scratch disease (CSD) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bartonella henselae. Most people with CSD have been bitten or scratched by a cat and developed an infected bump or blister at the point of injury.
Read Also
Students urged to consider veterinary medicine
Alberta government makes $86.5 million investment in University of Calgary to double capacity for its veterinary medicine program to address labour shortages in the field.
The sufferer will also sometimes have enlarged, tender and swollen lymph nodes in the head, neck and under the arms. He or she may have a slight fever with fatigue, a headache and poor appetite and some people have weight loss and a sore throat.
For some, the symptoms are so mild that they may not be aware of having the condition.
Kittens are more likely to harbour this disease than mature cats and are also more likely to bite or scratch. About 40 percent of cats carry the bacteria at some point in their lives. B. Henselae has also been discovered in fleas, although cat and dog fleas do not often bite people.
To reduce your risk of getting CSD, avoid rough play with cats and kittens, wash cat bites and scratches immediately and thoroughly and consult your family doctor if symptoms develop.
Most people make a complete recovery from CSD without any special treatment. Some may require treatment with antibiotics. Swollen lymph nodes will settle down spontaneously in two to four months.
Complications can affect the eyes or the nervous system. Even the most resistant and complicated cases will get better in one or two years. One episode of cat scratch disease will give lifetime immunity to children and adolescents.
People who have HIV/AIDS or are immune-compromised due to chemotherapy cancer treatments should be careful with cats because they are more likely to develop a more serious case of the disease.
Men usually have shorter second than fourth fingers, while in women these fingers are mostly of equal length. If women have longer ring fingers, they are more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis.
Smaller ratios between these two fingers also may have hormonal connections, including higher prenatal testosterone levels, lower estrogen concentrations and higher sperm counts in men.
