Cat-scratch disease
human disease
Cat-scratch disease (CSD) is an infectious disease that most often results from a scratch or bite of a cat. Symptoms typically include a non-painful bump or blister at the site of injury and painful and swollen lymph nodes. People may feel tired, have a headache, or a fever. Symptoms typically begin within 3–14 days following infection.
Cat-scratch disease is caused by the bacterium Bartonella henselae, which is believed to be spread by the cat's saliva. Young cats pose a greater risk than older cats. The disease can be passed to a human from dog scratches or bites, but this is relatively rare. Diagnosis is generally based on symptoms. Confirmation is possible by blood tests.
The primary treatment is supportive.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q639776. The Library of Congress control number is sh98002717. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Cat-scratch disease” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.