You can get the infection from a cat scratch because the cat contaminates its paws by licking them.
Cat scratch fever symptoms skin#
The disease is spread to humans through contact with the saliva of an infected cat as a result of a cat bite or scratch, or if cat saliva makes contact with broken skin or the conjunctiva (membrane lining the eye and inner eyelid).
In rare instances, the disease may also be contracted from dogs. If the kittens have fleas, the infection rate is 29 times higher than if they are flea-free. Kittens appear to be more likely to carry the bacteria than older cats and households with kittens have higher rates of human infection. Once infected, cats carry bacteria in their blood for many months but seem to be able to transmit the infection only for a few weeks. Therefore you cannot tell which cats can spread the disease to you. Other Bartonella species may also be involved in CSD.Ĭats do not become ill when they are infected and act only as vectors of the disease, carrying the bacteria on their claws or teeth. Many recent studies have implicated the bacterial organism Bartonella henselae (also called cat scratch disease bacillus) as the primary (but not the sole) cause of cat scratch disease. It typically involves swollen lymph glands and flu-like symptoms that resolve within a few weeks. Humans can get it if they are scratched, bitten or otherwise exposed to the saliva of an infected cat.
DefinitionĬat scratch disease (CSD) is an infection that is thought to be caused by bacteria carried in cat saliva. Cat scratch disease is an infectious illness associated with exposure to cat saliva, usually through scratches or bites.Ĭat scratch fever, CSD, benign lymphoreticulosis.
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