Bartonella henselae
| Categorization | |
|---|---|
| Cell Wall: Gram Negative | Shape: Rod |
| Transmission |
|---|
- The natural reservoir of B. henselae are domestic cats and thus the disease is a zoonotic. Cat Scratch Disease is usually associated with prior scratches or licking by a domestic cat. Baciallary Angiotmatosis is only observed in AIDS Patients who usually have a history of close contact with domestic felines.
| Clinical Consequences |
|---|
- Cat-Scratch Disease
- Cat-Scratch Disease begins with a small papular or macular skin lesion at the primary site of inoculation. After several weeks a tender lymphadenopathy is observed in regional lymph nodes that drain the site of inoculation and may be associated with a mild constitutional symptoms. Notably, affected lymph nodes may display granulomas with the presence of giant cells.
- Bacillary Angiomatosis
- Bacillary Angiomatosis is a non-neoplastic vascular tumor observed in AIDS patients and is caused by infection with B. hensela. Grossly, bacillary angiomatosis manifests as reddish/purple papular to nodulars cutanous lesions that may be scaley or may ulcerate. These represent reactive lobular proliferations of capillaries infiltrated with leukocytes. They are distinguished from those of Kaposi Sarcoma through histopathological analysis.
| Treatment |
|---|
- Erythromycin or doxycycline