It was only relatively recently discovered (1992) that cats themselves were more than simple carriers of Bartonella henselae and that they could actually become infected themselves. Short of an actual blood transfusion with an infected cat, fleas or ticks are needed to spread the infection. Experimental studies have not been able to demonstrate cat-to-cat transmission in cats that mutually groom each other, fight with each other, mate with each other, or share food or litter with each other, nor has transmission been demonstrated between infected mother cats and their kittens. This sounds somewhat concerning for the cat-owners in a flea area but it is important to realize that an infected cat cannot transmit the infection without a claw full of flea dirt. If the fleas are removed from the infected cat, there will be no flea dirt in the coat and no risk of disease transmission. If a person is diagnosed with cat scratch disease, there is a 90% chance that the cats they own will be found infected as well. If conditions are right, up to 40% of cats in an area may be infected. This means cats living in climates that are warm and humid (conditions where fleas thrive best) are most likely to be infected. Since fleas carry the bacteria, cats with insufficient flea control are at highest risk. How Likely is it for a Cat to be Infected? These syndromes are rare, but they are potentially quite serious. The infection goes deeper into the body and causes spleen enlargement, and potentially encephalitis, heart valve infection, and other conditions. If the patient does not have a competent immune system (in other words, they are very old, very young, debilitated from another condition, etc.), one of several far more serious syndromes can result. About 2 to 3 weeks following contact with the infected cat, the lymph node in the area will swell and become painful, and a fever will develop. These signs generally resolve on their own and the condition is minor though lymph node enlargement can persist for several months. The inoculation site, a scratch from a claw containing bits of flea dirt, develops a small red bump called a papule. a normal, healthy person) person leads to cat scratch disease. Infection with Bartonella henselae in an immunocompetent person (i.e. Classically, cats transmit the organism when they are parasitized by fleas, scratch themselves, and get infected flea dirt (digested host’s blood excreted by fleas) in their claws, and scratch a person or another cat with their dirty claws. The most well studied and most common Bartonella organism is Bartonella henselae. The five Bartonella species harbored by cats are spread by fleas. There are 24 Bartonella species, 14 of which can infect humans and five of which are harbored by cats. In fact, it involves infection by bacteria of the genus Bartonella. Ted Nugent made cat scratch fever (actually called cat scratch disease) nearly a household name with his song in the late 1970s but most people still know very little about this infection other than it involves a fever spread by cat scratches.
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