Researchers evaluated records of children with confirmed Bartonella henselae infection over a nine year period to better understand the epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical features of cat scratch disease (CSD).

Medical records were evaluated from January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2018 of 304 children in Georgia who had serology, polymerase chain reaction, and/or cytopathological results consistent with a Bartonella henselae infection. The researchers also evaluated veterinary diagnostic results performed at the University of Georgia from 2018 to 2020 to understand the prevalence of bartonellosis in pets.

Results:

The median age of child cases was 8.1 years and 51.3% were female. In 92.4% of the cases, there was an exposure to a cat and 22% there was an exposure with a dog. Although lymphadenopathy was present on physical examination in the majority of cases (78.8%), atypical presentations lacking lymphadenopathy were also seen in 20.7% of cases.

Among children with radiographic imaging, 36.4% had splenomegaly and 38.1% had splenic and/or hepatic microabscesses.

Among veterinary data, Bartonella seroprevalence was 12 of 146 (8.2%), all among canines in Georgia.

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Cat Scratch Disease: 9 Years of Experience at a Pediatric Center