Symptoms:

A person who has had contact with a cat may show common symptoms, including:

• Bump (papule) or blister (pustule) at site of injury (usually the first sign)
• Lymph node swelling near the scratch or bite
• Fever (in some patients)
• Fatigue
• Overall discomfort (malaise)
• Headache

Less common symptoms may include:

• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Enlarged spleen
• Sore throat
• Draining lymph nodes

Signs and tests:

A scratch or injury and a history of contact with a cat indicates that cat scratch disease is a possible cause of the lymph node swelling. In some cases, physical examination also shows an enlarged spleen (splenomegaly).

The disease often goes unrecognized because of the difficulty in testing. However, the Bartonella henselae IFA test is highly sensitive and specific for the detection of infection caused by this bacteria.

Other tests used in the diagnosis of cat scratch disease:

• Lymph node biopsy to rule out other causes of swollen glands