SkiptomaincontentHomeCatDiseasesAZSelectYourAnimalTopTools&GuidesCatScratchFeverinCatsBartonellosisinCatsBartonellosisisaninfectiousbacterialdisease,causedbythegram-negativebacteriaBartonellahenselae.Itisalsocommonlyknownascatscratchdisease(CSD),or"catscratchfever."Thisisazoonoticdisease,meaningthatitcanbetransmittedbetweenanimalsandhumans.Incats,thediseaseisgenerallytransmittedthroughcontactwithfleafeces.Thebacteriumisexcretedthroughthefleaandintoitsfeces,whichitleavesonthecat'sskin.Thecat,throughgroomingitself,ingeststhebacteria,therebybecominginfectedwiththeBartonellastrain.Humansdonotacquirethisinfectionfromfleareservoirs.Itisimportanttonotethatthisbacterialinfectioncanalsobetransmittedtohumansandcatsbyticks.Althoughcatsgenerallydonotsufferfromtheinfection,beyondpossiblefever,swollenglands,andsomemuscleaches,catscratchfevercanbepassedtoahumanhostwhentheinfectedcatscratchesorbitesahuman.Salivacanalsobeaconduitfortransmission,suchaswhenaninfectedcatlicksaskinabrasionoropenwoundonahuman.WhileinfectionoftheBartonellabacteriumisusuallymildinhumans,theCentersforDiseaseControlandPreventionestimatesthat12,000peoplearediagnosedwithcatscratchdiseaseintheUnitedStateseachyear,andabout500arehospitalized.Manyoftheinfectedarechildren,aschildrenaremostlikelytoplaywithkittens—which,inturn,arethemostlikelytoscratchandbiteaspartofplay.Symptomsmaybecomeapparentwithin7-14daysaftertheinjury,butmaytakeaslongaseightweekstopresent.Typicalsymptomsareswellingofthelymphnodesnearesttothebittenorscratchedsite,fever,headache,andageneralmalaise.Generally,thesymptomsmeritnomorethanabriefrestperioduntiltheyresolveontheirown,usuallywithoutmedicaltreatment.Somepatientsrequireacourseofantibiotics.Fortunately,catscratchfeverisnotfatalforhumans,butitstillposesgreatriskstoimmunocompromisedpatients,suchasthosewiththeAIDSvirus,orthoseundergoingchemicaltreatment.Whilemanycatownersdonotneedtoconcernthemselveswithwhethertheircatsarecarriersofthisbacterium,thosewhomustguardtheirhealthareadvisedtohavetheirca