Cat Scratch Disease Australia

It seems that kittens are more likely to cause the problem than full grown cats perhaps because of their more playful nature.

Cat scratch disease australia. Patients with catscratch disease usually have suffered a scratch or bite from a cat or kitten that is infected with the bacteria bartonella henselae a common infection in young cats. Cat scratch disease is associated with cat scratches although cat bites and licks can often lead to csd too with more than 90 of those infected have a history of contact with a cat. It is sometimes known as cat scratch fever. Cat scratch disease or csd as its commonly known is a severe bacterial infection that is passed from cats to humans and causes swelling of the lymph nodes.

It usually takes 3 10 days for a blister to appear at the site of a cat scratch. The disease spreads when an infected cat licks a persons open wound or bites or scratches a person hard enough to break the surface of the skin. The disease is caused by a recently discovered gram negative bacterium called bartonella henselae and is found worldwide. Cats carry several lethal bacteria such as pasteurella which can cause meningitis as well as bartonella which causes the so called cat scratch disease.

People may feel tired have a headache or a fever. About three to 14 days after the skin is broken a mild infection can occur at the site of the scratch or bite. Symptoms typically include a non painful bump or blister at the site of injury and painful and swollen lymph nodes. It is a big deal and it is emerging more and more now as an unrecognised cause of heart valve infection which is obviously fatal if untreated prof grayson told the newspaper.

The infection is known as cat scratch disease because it is passed on by means of scratches licking or biting. Symptoms typically begin within 3 14 days following infection. You can get cat scratch fever from a bite or scratch from an infected cat. Cat scratch disease cat scratch fever is an infection that causes swelling of the lymph nodes swollen glands after an animal scratch.

You can also get the disease if saliva from an infected cat gets into an open wound or touches the whites of your eyes. Lymph node swelling usually begins about 2 weeks after the cat scratch with a range of 7 60 days. Cat scratch disease csd is spread through being scratched or less commonly bitten by a cat infected with the bacterium responsible for the disease bartonella henselae. Cat scratch disease csd is a bacterial infection spread by cats.