Cat-scratch Disease

Disease Characteristics Research Template

2026-05-06
Falcon MONDO:0005692 Model: Edison Scientific Literature 56 citations

Question: You are an expert researcher providing comprehensive, well-cited information.

Provide detailed information focusing on: 1. Key concepts and definitions with current understanding 2. Recent developments and latest research (prioritize 2023-2024 sources) 3. Current applications and real-world implementations 4. Expert opinions and analysis from authoritative sources 5. Relevant statistics and data from recent studies

Format as a comprehensive research report with proper citations. Include URLs and publication dates where available. Always prioritize recent, authoritative sources and provide specific citations for all major claims.

Disease Characteristics Research Template

Target Disease

  • Disease Name: Cat-scratch Disease
  • MONDO ID: (if available)
  • Category: Infectious

Research Objectives

Please provide a comprehensive research report on Cat-scratch Disease covering all of the disease characteristics listed below. This report will be used to populate a disease knowledge base entry. Be thorough and cite primary literature (PMID preferred) for all claims.

For each section, suggested databases/resources are listed. These are the first places you should search for information on each topic.


1. Disease Information

Search first: OMIM, Orphanet, ICD-10/ICD-11, MeSH, PubMed

  • What is the disease? Provide a concise overview.
  • What are the key identifiers? (OMIM, Orphanet, ICD-10/ICD-11, MeSH, Mondo)
  • What are the common synonyms and alternative names?
  • Is the information derived from individual patients (e.g., EHR) or aggregated disease-level resources?

2. Etiology

  • Disease Causal Factors: What are the primary causes? (genetic, environmental, infectious, mechanistic)
  • Risk Factors:

    Search first: PubMed, Cochrane Library, UpToDate, clinical guidelines, ClinVar, ClinGen, GWAS Catalog, PheGenI, CTD, CDC, WHO, epidemiological databases

  • Genetic risk factors (causal variants, susceptibility loci, modifier genes)
  • Environmental risk factors (toxins, lifestyle, occupational exposures, age, sex, family history)
  • Protective Factors:

    Search first: PubMed, Cochrane Library, clinical trial databases, GWAS Catalog, gnomAD, WHO, CDC, nutrition databases

  • Genetic protective factors (protective variants, modifier alleles)
  • Environmental protective factors (diet, lifestyle, exposures that reduce risk)
  • Gene-Environment Interactions: How do genetic and environmental factors interact to influence disease?

    Search first: CTD, PubMed, PheGenI, GxE databases

3. Phenotypes

Search first: HPO (Human Phenotype Ontology), OMIM, Orphanet, PubMed, clinicaltrials.gov, MedDRA, SNOMED CT, DECIPHER, LOINC

For each phenotype, provide: - Phenotype type: symptoms, clinical signs, physical manifestations, behavioral changes, or laboratory abnormalities

For symptoms/signs: HPO, OMIM, Orphanet, PubMed For behavioral changes: HPO, DSM, RDoC (Research Domain Criteria), PubMed For laboratory abnormalities: LOINC, SNOMED CT, LabTests Online, PubMed - Phenotype characteristics: Search first: OMIM, Orphanet, HPO, PubMed - Age of symptom onset (neonatal, childhood, adult-onset, late-onset) - Symptom severity (mild, moderate, severe, variable) - Symptom progression (stable, progressive, episodic, fluctuating) - Frequency among affected individuals (percentage or qualitative) - Quality of life impact: Effects on daily functioning and well-being (per-phenotype when possible) Search first: EQ-5D database, SF-36, WHO QOL databases, PubMed - Suggest HPO (Human Phenotype Ontology) terms for each phenotype

4. Genetic/Molecular Information

  • Causal Genes: Gene mutations or chromosomal abnormalities responsible for disease (gene symbols, OMIM IDs)

    Search first: OMIM, ClinVar, HGMD, Ensembl, NCBI Gene

  • Pathogenic Variants:
  • Affected genes (gene symbols, HGNC IDs) > Search first: OMIM, NCBI Gene, Ensembl, HGNC, UniProt, GeneCards
  • Variant classification (pathogenic, likely pathogenic, VUS per ACMG/AMP guidelines) > Search first: ClinVar, ClinGen, ACMG/AMP guidelines, VarSome
  • Variant type/class (missense, frameshift, nonsense, splice-site, structural)
  • Allele frequency in population databases > Search first: gnomAD, 1000 Genomes, ExAC, TOPMed, dbSNP
  • Somatic vs germline origin > Search first: COSMIC (somatic), ClinVar, ICGC, TCGA
  • Functional consequences (loss of function, gain of function, dominant negative)
  • Modifier Genes: Genes that modify disease severity or expression
  • Epigenetic Information: DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin changes affecting disease

    Search first: ENCODE, Roadmap Epigenomics, MethBase, DiseaseMeth

  • Chromosomal Abnormalities: Large-scale genetic changes (aneuploidy, translocations, inversions)

    Search first: DECIPHER, ClinVar, ECARUCA, UCSC Genome Browser

5. Environmental Information

  • Environmental Factors: Non-genetic contributing factors (toxins, radiation, pollution, occupational exposure)

    Search first: CTD (Comparative Toxicogenomics Database), TOXNET, PubMed, EPA databases

  • Lifestyle Factors: Behavioral factors (smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol consumption)

    Search first: CDC databases, WHO, PubMed, NHANES

  • Infectious Agents: If applicable, pathogens causing or triggering disease (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites)

    Search first: NCBI Taxonomy, ViPR, BV-BRC, MicrobeDB, GIDEON

6. Mechanism / Pathophysiology

  • Molecular Pathways: Specific signaling cascades or biochemical pathways involved (Wnt, MAPK, mTOR, PI3K-AKT, etc.)

    Search first: KEGG, Reactome, WikiPathways, PathBank, BioCyc

  • Cellular Processes: Cell-level mechanisms (apoptosis, autophagy, cell cycle dysregulation, inflammation, etc.)

    Search first: Gene Ontology (GO), Reactome, KEGG, PubMed

  • Protein Dysfunction: How protein structure or function is altered (misfolding, aggregation, loss of function, gain of function)

    Search first: UniProt, PDB (Protein Data Bank), InterPro, Pfam, AlphaFold

  • Metabolic Changes: Alterations in metabolic processes (energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism)

    Search first: KEGG, BioCyc, HMDB (Human Metabolome Database), BRENDA

  • Immune System Involvement: Role of immune response (autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, chronic inflammation)

    Search first: ImmPort, Immunome Database, IEDB, Gene Ontology

  • Tissue Damage Mechanisms: How tissues/ are injured (oxidative stress, ischemia, fibrosis, necrosis)

    Search first: PubMed, Gene Ontology, Reactome

  • Biochemical Abnormalities: Specific molecular defects (enzyme deficiencies, receptor dysfunction, ion channel defects)

    Search first: BRENDA, UniProt, KEGG, OMIM, PubMed

  • Epigenetic Changes: DNA methylation, histone modifications affecting gene expression in disease

    Search first: ENCODE, Roadmap Epigenomics, MethBase, DiseaseMeth

  • Molecular Profiling (if available):
  • Transcriptomics/gene expression changes > Search first: GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus), ArrayExpress, GTEx, Human Cell Atlas, SRA
  • Proteomics findings > Search first: PRIDE, ProteomeXchange, Human Protein Atlas, STRING, BioGRID
  • Metabolomics signatures > Search first: MetaboLights, Metabolomics Workbench, HMDB, METLIN
  • Lipidomics alterations > Search first: LIPID MAPS, SwissLipids, LipidHome, Metabolomics Workbench
  • Genomic structural features > Search first: UCSC Genome Browser, Ensembl, NCBI, dbVar, DGV
  • Advanced Technologies (if applicable):
  • Single-cell analysis findings (cell-type specific mechanisms, cellular heterogeneity) > Search first: Human Cell Atlas, Single Cell Portal, GEO, CELLxGENE
  • Spatial transcriptomics findings > Search first: GEO, Spatial Research, Vizgen, 10x Genomics data
  • Multi-omics integration results > Search first: TCGA, ICGC, cBioPortal, LinkedOmics, PubMed
  • Functional genomics screens (CRISPR, RNAi) > Search first: DepMap, GenomeRNAi, PubMed, BioGRID ORCS

For each mechanism, describe: - The causal chain from initial trigger to clinical manifestation - Which mechanisms are upstream vs downstream - What cell types and biological processes are involved - Suggest GO terms for biological processes and CL terms for cell types

7. Anatomical Structures Affected

  • Organ Level:
  • Primary organs directly affected
  • Secondary organ involvement (complications, secondary effects)
  • Body systems involved (cardiovascular, nervous, digestive, respiratory, endocrine, etc.)

    Search first: Uberon, FMA (Foundational Model of Anatomy), OMIM, HPO, ICD-11, MeSH, SNOMED CT

  • Tissue and Cell Level:
  • Specific tissue types affected (epithelial, connective, muscle, nervous)
  • Specific cell populations targeted (with Cell Ontology terms)

    Search first: Uberon, Human Protein Atlas, Cell Ontology, Human Cell Atlas, CellMarker, PanglaoDB

  • Subcellular Level:
  • Cellular compartments involved (mitochondria, nucleus, ER, lysosomes) (with GO Cellular Component terms)

    Search first: Gene Ontology (Cellular Component), UniProt, Human Protein Atlas

  • Localization:
  • Specific anatomical sites (with UBERON terms) > Search first: FMA, Uberon, NeuroNames (for brain), SNOMED CT
  • Lateralization (unilateral, bilateral, asymmetric) > Search first: HPO, clinical literature, imaging databases

8. Temporal Development

  • Onset:
  • Typical age of onset (congenital, pediatric, adult, geriatric)
  • Onset pattern (acute, subacute, chronic, insidious)

    Search first: OMIM, Orphanet, HPO, PubMed

  • Progression:
  • Disease stages (early, intermediate, advanced, end-stage) > Search first: Cancer Staging Manual (AJCC), WHO classifications, PubMed
  • Progression rate (rapid, slow, variable)
  • Disease course pattern (episodic, relapsing-remitting, progressive, stable)
  • Disease duration (self-limited, chronic lifelong)

    Search first: Disease registries, longitudinal cohort databases, natural history studies, PubMed, Orphanet, OMIM

  • Patterns:
  • Remission patterns (spontaneous, treatment-induced) > Search first: Clinical trial databases, disease registries, PubMed
  • Critical periods (time windows of vulnerability or opportunity for intervention) > Search first: PubMed, developmental biology databases, clinical guidelines

9. Inheritance and Population

  • Epidemiology:
  • Prevalence (cases per 100,000 at given time)
  • Incidence (new cases per 100,000 per year)

    Search first: Orphanet, CDC, WHO, GBD (Global Burden of Disease), national registries, SEER, disease registries

  • For Genetic Etiology:
  • Inheritance pattern (AD, AR, X-linked, mitochondrial, multifactorial, polygenic) > Search first: OMIM, Orphanet, ClinVar, GTR (Genetic Testing Registry)
  • Penetrance (complete, incomplete, age-dependent) > Search first: ClinVar, OMIM, PubMed, ClinGen
  • Expressivity (variable, consistent) > Search first: OMIM, ClinVar, PubMed
  • Genetic anticipation (increasing severity in successive generations) > Search first: OMIM, PubMed (especially for repeat expansion disorders)
  • Germline mosaicism > Search first: ClinVar, OMIM, genetic counseling literature, PubMed
  • Founder effects (population-specific mutations) > Search first: gnomAD, population genetics databases, PubMed
  • Consanguinity role > Search first: OMIM, population studies, genetic counseling resources
  • Carrier frequency > Search first: gnomAD, carrier screening databases, GeneReviews, GTR
  • Population Demographics:
  • Affected populations (ethnic or demographic groups with higher prevalence) > Search first: gnomAD, 1000 Genomes, PAGE Study, PubMed, population registries
  • Geographic distribution (endemic areas, regional variation) > Search first: WHO, CDC, GBD, Orphanet, geographic epidemiology databases
  • Geographic distribution of specific variants
  • Sex ratio (male:female) > Search first: Disease registries, OMIM, PubMed, epidemiological databases
  • Age distribution of affected individuals > Search first: CDC, disease registries, SEER, Orphanet

10. Diagnostics

  • Clinical Tests:
  • Laboratory tests (blood, urine, tissue chemistry, specific enzyme assays) > Search first: LOINC, LabTests Online, PubMed
  • Biomarkers (proteins, metabolites, genetic markers, circulating biomarkers) > Search first: FDA Biomarker List, BEST (Biomarkers, EndpointS, and other Tools), PubMed
  • Imaging studies (X-ray, CT, MRI, PET, ultrasound) > Search first: RadLex, DICOM, Radiopaedia, imaging databases
  • Functional tests (pulmonary function, cardiac stress tests) > Search first: LOINC, clinical guidelines, PubMed
  • Electrophysiology (EEG, EMG, ECG, nerve conduction studies) > Search first: LOINC, clinical neurophysiology databases, PubMed
  • Biopsy findings (histopathology, immunohistochemistry) > Search first: SNOMED CT, College of American Pathologists resources, PubMed
  • Pathology findings (microscopic examination) > Search first: SNOMED CT, Digital Pathology databases, PubMed
  • Genetic Testing:

    Search first: GTR (Genetic Testing Registry), GeneReviews, ClinGen

  • Overview of recommended genetic testing approach
  • Whole genome sequencing (WGS) utility > Search first: GTR, ClinVar, GEL (Genomics England), gnomAD
  • Whole exome sequencing (WES) utility > Search first: GTR, ClinVar, OMIM, GeneMatcher
  • Gene panels (which panels, which genes) > Search first: GTR, ClinVar, laboratory-specific databases
  • Single gene testing > Search first: GTR, ClinVar, OMIM, GeneReviews
  • Chromosomal microarray (CMA) > Search first: DECIPHER, ClinVar, dbVar, ECARUCA
  • Karyotyping > Search first: Chromosome Abnormality Database, ClinVar, cytogenetics resources
  • FISH > Search first: ClinVar, cytogenetics databases, PubMed
  • Mitochondrial DNA testing > Search first: MITOMAP, MSeqDR, ClinVar, GTR
  • Repeat expansion testing > Search first: GTR, ClinVar, repeat expansion databases, PubMed
  • Omics-Based Diagnostics (if applicable):
  • RNA sequencing / transcriptomics > Search first: GEO, ArrayExpress, GTEx, RNA-seq databases
  • Proteomics > Search first: PRIDE, ProteomeXchange, FDA Biomarker database
  • Metabolomics > Search first: MetaboLights, Metabolomics Workbench, HMDB
  • Epigenomics > Search first: GEO, ENCODE, Roadmap Epigenomics, MethBase
  • Liquid biopsy > Search first: COSMIC, ClinVar, liquid biopsy databases, PubMed
  • Clinical Criteria:
  • Standardized diagnostic criteria (DSM, ICD, society guidelines) > Search first: DSM-5, ICD-11, clinical society guidelines, UpToDate
  • Differential diagnosis (other conditions to rule out, with distinguishing features) > Search first: DynaMed, UpToDate, clinical decision support systems
  • Screening:
  • Screening methods for asymptomatic individuals (newborn screening, carrier screening, cascade screening) > Search first: ACMG recommendations, CDC newborn screening, GTR

11. Outcome/Prognosis

  • Survival and Mortality:
  • Survival rate (5-year, 10-year, overall) > Search first: SEER, cancer registries, disease-specific registries, PubMed
  • Life expectancy (with and without treatment if applicable) > Search first: Orphanet, disease registries, actuarial databases, PubMed
  • Mortality rate > Search first: CDC, WHO, GBD, national mortality databases
  • Disease-specific mortality (deaths directly attributable to disease) > Search first: Disease registries, CDC Wonder, GBD, PubMed
  • Morbidity and Function:
  • Morbidity (disease-related disability and health impacts) > Search first: GBD, WHO, disability databases, PubMed
  • Disability outcomes (long-term functional impairments) > Search first: ICF (International Classification of Functioning), disability registries
  • Quality of life measures (EQ-5D, SF-36, PROMIS, disease-specific tools) > Search first: EQ-5D database, SF-36, PROMIS, PubMed
  • Disease Course:
  • Complications (secondary problems: infections, organ failure, etc.) > Search first: ICD codes, disease registries, clinical databases, PubMed
  • Recovery potential (likelihood and extent of recovery, with vs without treatment) > Search first: Natural history studies, rehabilitation databases, PubMed
  • Prediction:
  • Prognostic factors (age, disease severity, biomarkers, treatment response) > Search first: Prognostic models databases, clinical calculators, PubMed
  • Prognostic biomarkers (molecular markers predicting disease course) > Search first: FDA Biomarker database, PubMed, cancer prognostic databases

12. Treatment

  • Pharmacotherapy:
  • Pharmacological treatments (drug names, drug classes, mechanisms of action) > Search first: DrugBank, RxNorm, ATC classification, DailyMed, FDA databases
  • Pharmacogenomics (how genetic variants affect drug metabolism, efficacy, toxicity) > Search first: PharmGKB, CPIC (Clinical Pharmacogenetics), FDA Table of PGx Biomarkers
  • Advanced Therapeutics:
  • Gene therapy (viral vectors, CRISPR, gene replacement, gene editing) > Search first: ClinicalTrials.gov, FDA gene therapy database, ASGCT resources
  • Cell therapy (stem cell transplant, CAR-T, cellular therapeutics) > Search first: ClinicalTrials.gov, FDA cell therapy database, FACT standards
  • RNA-based therapies (ASOs, siRNA, mRNA therapies) > Search first: ClinicalTrials.gov, FDA approvals, PubMed
  • Targeted therapies (treatments directed at specific molecular targets) > Search first: My Cancer Genome, OncoKB, ClinicalTrials.gov, FDA approvals
  • Immunotherapies (checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies) > Search first: Cancer Immunotherapy Database, FDA approvals, ClinicalTrials.gov
  • Surgical and Interventional:
  • Surgical interventions (types of surgery, timing, outcomes) > Search first: CPT codes, surgical registries, clinical guidelines, PubMed
  • Supportive and Rehabilitative:
  • Supportive care (symptom management, pain control, nutrition) > Search first: Clinical guidelines, Cochrane Library, PubMed
  • Rehabilitation (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy) > Search first: Rehabilitation medicine databases, clinical guidelines, PubMed
  • Experimental:
  • Experimental treatments in clinical trials (with NCT identifiers if available) > Search first: ClinicalTrials.gov, EU Clinical Trials Register, WHO ICTRP
  • Treatment Outcomes:
  • Treatment response rates > Search first: Clinical trial databases, FDA reviews, systematic reviews, PubMed
  • Side effects and adverse events > Search first: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), MedWatch, PubMed
  • Treatment Strategy:
  • Treatment algorithms (clinical pathways, decision trees) > Search first: Clinical practice guidelines, NCCN Guidelines, UpToDate
  • Combination therapies > Search first: ClinicalTrials.gov, treatment guidelines, PubMed
  • Personalized medicine approaches (genotype-guided treatment) > Search first: My Cancer Genome, CIViC, PharmGKB, precision medicine databases

For each treatment, suggest MAXO (Medical Action Ontology) terms where applicable.

13. Prevention

  • Prevention Levels:
  • Primary prevention (preventing disease occurrence: vaccination, risk factor modification) > Search first: CDC, WHO, USPSTF recommendations, Cochrane Library
  • Secondary prevention (early detection and treatment: screening programs, early intervention) > Search first: USPSTF, CDC screening guidelines, WHO
  • Tertiary prevention (preventing complications in those with disease) > Search first: Clinical guidelines, disease management protocols, PubMed
  • Immunization: Vaccine strategies (if applicable)

    Search first: CDC vaccine schedules, WHO immunization, FDA vaccine database

  • Screening and Early Detection:
  • Screening programs (population-based: newborn screening, cancer screening) > Search first: CDC screening programs, USPSTF, cancer screening databases
  • Genetic screening (carrier screening, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, prenatal testing) > Search first: ACMG recommendations, ACOG guidelines, GTR
  • Risk stratification (identifying high-risk individuals for targeted prevention) > Search first: Risk prediction models, clinical calculators, PubMed
  • Behavioral Interventions: Lifestyle modifications to reduce risk

    Search first: CDC, WHO, behavioral intervention databases, Cochrane Library

  • Counseling: Genetic counseling (risk assessment, family planning guidance)

    Search first: NSGC resources, ACMG guidelines, GeneReviews

  • Public Health:
  • Public health interventions (sanitation, vector control, health education) > Search first: CDC, WHO, public health databases, PubMed
  • Environmental interventions (reducing environmental risk factors) > Search first: EPA databases, WHO environmental health, PubMed
  • Prophylaxis: Preventive medications or procedures

    Search first: Clinical guidelines, FDA approvals, PubMed

14. Other Species / Natural Disease

  • Taxonomy: Species affected (with NCBI Taxon identifiers)

    Search first: NCBI Taxonomy

  • Breed: Specific breeds affected (with VBO identifiers if applicable)

    Search first: VBO (Vertebrate Breed Ontology)

  • Gene: Orthologous genes in other species (with NCBI Gene IDs)

    Search first: NCBI Gene

  • Natural Disease:
  • Naturally occurring disease in other species (companion animals, wildlife) > Search first: OMIA (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals), VetCompass, PubMed
  • Veterinary relevance and importance in animal health > Search first: OMIA, veterinary databases, PubMed
  • Comparative Biology:
  • Comparative pathology (similarities and differences across species) > Search first: OMIA, comparative pathology databases, PubMed
  • Evolutionary conservation of disease mechanisms > Search first: HomoloGene, OrthoMCL, Alliance of Genome Resources
  • Transmission (if applicable):
  • Zoonotic potential > Search first: CDC zoonotic diseases, WHO zoonoses, GIDEON
  • Cross-species susceptibility > Search first: NCBI Taxonomy, veterinary databases, PubMed

15. Model Organisms

  • Model Types:
  • Model organism type (mammalian, invertebrate, cellular, in vitro) > Search first: Alliance of Genome Resources, model organism databases
  • Specific model systems (mouse, rat, zebrafish, Drosophila, C. elegans, yeast, cell lines, organoids, iPSCs) > Search first: MGI, RGD, ZFIN, FlyBase, WormBase, SGD, ATCC, Cellosaurus
  • Induced models (drug treatment, surgical intervention, environmental manipulation) > Search first: MGI, model organism databases, PubMed
  • Genetic Models:
  • Types available (knockout, knock-in, transgenic, conditional, humanized) > Search first: MGI, IMPC, KOMP, EuMMCR, IMSR
  • Model Characteristics:
  • Phenotype recapitulation (how well model reproduces human disease features) > Search first: Model organism databases, comparative studies, PubMed
  • Model limitations (aspects of human disease not captured) > Search first: Model organism databases, PubMed, review articles
  • Applications:
  • Research applications (what aspects of disease can be studied) > Search first: Model organism databases, PubMed
  • Resources:
  • Model databases > Search first: MGI, RGD, ZFIN, FlyBase, WormBase, IMSR, EMMA, MMRRC

Citation Requirements

  • Cite primary literature (PMID preferred) for all mechanistic and clinical claims
  • Prioritize recent reviews and landmark papers
  • Include direct quotes from abstracts where possible to support key statements
  • Distinguish evidence source types: human clinical, model organism, in vitro, computational

Output Format

Structure your response as a comprehensive narrative organized by the sections above. For each section, provide: - Factual content with specific details (numbers, percentages, gene names, variant nomenclature) - Ontology term suggestions (HPO, GO, CL, UBERON, CHEBI, MAXO, MONDO) where applicable - Evidence citations with PMIDs - Direct quotes from abstracts to support key claims - Clear indication when information is not available or not applicable for this disease

This report will be used to populate a disease knowledge base entry with: - Pathophysiology descriptions with causal chains - Gene/protein annotations (HGNC, GO terms) - Phenotype associations (HP terms) with frequencies - Cell type involvement (CL terms) - Anatomical locations (UBERON terms) - Chemical entities (CHEBI terms) - Treatment annotations (MAXO terms) - Evidence items with PMIDs and exact abstract quotes - Epidemiology, prognosis, diagnostic, and prevention information - Animal model descriptions with phenotype recapitulation details

Cat-scratch disease (CSD) — Comprehensive Disease Characteristics Report (Infectious)

Target disease: Cat-scratch disease (CSD)
Causal agent (primary): Bartonella henselae (facultative intracellular Gram-negative bacillus) (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 1-2, smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5)
Last updated: 2026-05-06

Executive summary

Cat-scratch disease is a zoonotic infection most commonly acquired after contact with cats (often kittens), classically presenting as subacute regional lymphadenopathy, sometimes preceded by an inoculation papule/pustule; a clinically important minority develop atypical/disseminated disease (e.g., hepatosplenic microabscesses, osteomyelitis, ocular disease, neurologic syndromes). Key diagnostic modalities in real-world practice are serology (IFA/ELISA), histopathology of lymph node tissue in selected cases, and nucleic-acid detection (PCR or increasingly metagenomic next-generation sequencing [mNGS] for atypical disease). Treatment is often supportive/observational for uncomplicated disease, with azithromycin commonly used to shorten symptom course; complicated ocular/CNS disease is often treated with doxycycline plus rifampin based on expert recommendations and case-based evidence. (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, rolain2004recommendationsfortreatment pages 6-7)


1. Disease information

1.1 Definition and overview

CSD is an infectious zoonosis “caused by Bartonella henselae infection” and typically presents with “regional lymphadenopathy following a cat scratch or bite.” (smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5) A recent review similarly defines CSD as a systemic infection due to the intracellular Gram-negative zoonotic bacillus B. henselae. (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 1-2)

Direct abstract-supporting quote(s) - “Cat-scratch disease (CSD) is caused by a bacterial infection due to Bartonella henselae…” (Sulaiman et al., 2023-08, Cureus) (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7) - “Cat-scratch disease (CSD) is caused by Bartonella henselae infection.” (Li et al., 2024-04, J Ophthalmic Inflamm Infect) (lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 1-2)

1.2 Key identifiers (ontology/clinical)

Not fully retrievable from the currently retrieved full-text corpus. The evidence set did not directly include MONDO, MeSH, or ICD code strings for CSD. (No in-corpus evidence)

What is available from retrieved clinical literature: the disease entity is consistently referenced as “cat-scratch disease,” “cat scratch disease,” and “Bartonella henselae infection,” and is discussed in the context of lymphadenitis/lymphadenopathy differentials. (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5)

1.3 Common synonyms / alternative names

1.4 Evidence source types (patient-level vs aggregated)


2. Etiology

2.1 Disease causal factors

2.2 Risk factors

Animal/vector exposure (dominant risk factor class): - High association with cat exposure in pediatric series: 92.4% feline exposure (242/262) in the Atlanta pediatric cohort. (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2) - Review-level risk factors include kittens, fleas, stray/shelter cats, multicat households, outdoor cats, and hot/humid environments. (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6)

Host factors: - Immunocompromised status is associated with more severe complications (e.g., bacillary angiomatosis, severe systemic disease); case reports emphasize broadened differential in people living with HIV. (smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6)

Direct abstract-supporting quote(s) - “B. henselae is transmitted from cats to humans through scratching or biting…” (Sulaiman et al., 2023-08, Cureus) (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7)

2.3 Protective factors

No specific genetic protective variants or environmental protective factors were identified in the retrieved evidence. Primary preventive measures are behavioral and veterinary (flea control, avoiding bites/scratches). (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 6-7, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6)

2.4 Gene–environment interactions

No human host GxE interactions were identified in the retrieved evidence corpus. (No in-corpus evidence)


3. Phenotypes

3.1 Typical phenotype cluster

Core syndrome: inoculation lesion followed by regional lymphadenopathy ± fever. - In a 304-case pediatric cohort, lymphadenopathy occurred in 78.8% (234/297) and fever in 46.4% (141/304). (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3) - Lymph node site distribution in that cohort included cervical 52.0%, axillary 28.3%, and inguinal 13.9% (site denominators vary by documentation). (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)

Timing: - Papule/pustule may appear 7–12 days after inoculation and lymphadenopathy typically appears 1–3 weeks after inoculation in review literature. (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6) - Case-based discussion cites presentation typically 3–14 days after scratch or bite. (smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5)

3.2 Atypical/disseminated phenotypes (selected)

Atypical presentations are common in tertiary-care cohorts: 20.7% (63/304) lacked lymphadenopathy and were classified as atypical in the Atlanta pediatric cohort. (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)

Hepatosplenic disease (microabscesses/splenomegaly): among abdominally imaged children (n=55), 38.1% had splenic and/or hepatic microabscesses and 36.4% had splenomegaly. (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)

Bone involvement: among those with bone MRI (n=20), 35.0% had bone MRI involvement. (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)

Neuro-ophthalmic / CNS involvement: among those with neuroimaging (n=29), 27.6% had optic neuritis and 17.2% had encephalitis-like findings. (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)

3.3 Suggested HPO terms and phenotype annotations

A structured phenotype-to-ontology mapping with frequencies and timing is provided in artifact-01.

Table (click to expand)
Phenotype / complication Suggested HPO term(s) Frequency / distribution Typical time to onset Affected anatomy (suggested UBERON) Notes / evidence (with URL)
Inoculation papule / pustule HP:0011123 Skin papule; HP:0000989 Pustule Not quantified in Amin 2022 cohort Papule/pustule typically appears 7–12 days after inoculation; overall symptoms may begin 3–14 days after scratch/bite UBERON:0001003 skin Primary inoculation lesion after cat-associated injury; useful early clue before lymphadenopathy. URLs: https://doi.org/10.5455/ovj.2025.v15.i5.5 ; https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.66840 (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6, smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5)
Regional lymphadenopathy (overall) HP:0002716 Lymphadenopathy 78.8% (234/297) in Atlanta pediatric cohort Usually develops 1–3 weeks after inoculation; classic illness often appears 3–14 days after scratch/bite UBERON:0000029 lymph node Core phenotype of typical CSD; median lymphadenopathy duration at presentation 9 days (IQR 6–21). URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 ; https://doi.org/10.5455/ovj.2025.v15.i5.5 ; https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.66840 (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6, smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5)
Cervical lymphadenopathy HP:0007676 Cervical lymphadenopathy 52.0% (104/200) among cases with site data As above: usually 1–3 weeks after inoculation UBERON:0000057 cervical lymph node Most common nodal site in Amin 2022 pediatric cohort. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Axillary lymphadenopathy HP:0010780 Axillary lymphadenopathy 28.3% (67/237) in Amin 2022; 43% cited in Smith 2024 review-style discussion As above: usually 1–3 weeks after inoculation UBERON:0001421 axillary lymph node Common after upper-extremity inoculation; site frequency varies by cohort/source. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 ; https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.66840 (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5)
Inguinal lymphadenopathy HP:0100765 Inguinal lymphadenopathy 13.9% (37/266) in Amin 2022 As above: usually 1–3 weeks after inoculation UBERON:0011274 inguinal lymph node Less common than cervical/axillary disease but well-described, including atypical presentations. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 ; https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44280 (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7)
Fever HP:0001945 Fever 46.4% (141/304) in Amin 2022 Often accompanies/subsequently follows lymphadenopathy; overall illness may begin 3–14 days after scratch/bite UBERON:0000178 blood / systemic Frequent systemic feature; more pronounced in atypical/disseminated disease. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 ; https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.66840 (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5)
Splenomegaly HP:0001744 Splenomegaly 8.5% (23/270) clinically in Amin 2022; 36.4% (20/55) among those with abdominal imaging Usually part of atypical/disseminated hepatosplenic disease UBERON:0002106 spleen Suggests systemic spread; in imaged patients, splenomegaly and microabscesses were common. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Hepatic and/or splenic microabscesses (hepatosplenic CSD) HP:0011962 Abnormality of the spleen; HP:0002240 Hepatomegaly; HP:0002572 Hepatic abscess 38.1% (21/55) among abdominally imaged patients in Amin 2022 Atypical/disseminated manifestation; timing not precisely quantified in retrieved cohort UBERON:0002107 liver; UBERON:0002106 spleen Important radiologic marker of hepatosplenic involvement; abdominal US/CT can detect lesions. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 ; https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.66134 (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4, nguyen2024threemonthhistoryof pages 4-6)
Osteomyelitis / bone involvement HP:0002754 Osteomyelitis Bone MRI involvement 35.0% (7/20) among those who underwent bone MRI in Amin 2022 Atypical/disseminated manifestation; specific onset interval not reported in retrieved cohort UBERON:0001474 bone element Represents deeper disseminated infection; may mimic malignancy or other chronic inflammatory bone disease. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Ocular neuroretinitis HP:0012372 Neuroretinitis Not population-quantified in Amin overall cohort; ocular disease included among atypical presentations Ocular manifestations tend to arise after systemic illness; exact timing variable UBERON:0000966 retina; UBERON:0001004 optic nerve Vision-threatening atypical CSD phenotype; often linked to Bartonella serology and ocular imaging. URL: https://doi.org/10.4274/tjo.galenos.2022.44692 ; https://doi.org/10.1186/s12348-024-00387-0 (lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 1-2)
Optic neuritis / optic nerve involvement HP:0000648 Optic neuritis 27.6% (8/29) among those with neuroimaging in Amin 2022 Variable; part of neuro-ophthalmic dissemination UBERON:0001004 optic nerve Neuroimaging in Amin identified optic neuritis in a substantial subset of imaged patients. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Uveitis HP:0000554 Uveitis Not quantified in Amin cohort; ocular series reported anterior uveitis in 13% of affected eyes Variable; atypical ocular manifestation UBERON:0001768 uvea Reported ocular manifestation of CSD alongside neuroretinitis, retinal infiltrates, and vascular occlusions. URL: https://doi.org/10.4274/tjo.galenos.2022.44692 ; https://doi.org/10.1186/s12886-023-03063-4 (lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 1-2)
Meningoencephalitis / encephalitis HP:0001298 Encephalopathy; HP:0002383 Encephalitis; HP:0001287 Meningitis 17.2% (5/29) had encephalitis-like findings among those with neuroimaging in Amin 2022 Atypical/disseminated complication; timing variable UBERON:0000955 brain; UBERON:0002050 cerebral cortex; UBERON:000 membranes of brain/spinal cord Neurologic involvement is uncommon but clinically important; included in the atypical CSD spectrum. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 ; https://doi.org/10.5455/ovj.2025.v15.i5.5 (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6)

Table: This table maps major cat-scratch disease phenotypes and complications to suggested HPO and UBERON terms, with quantitative frequencies from the Atlanta pediatric cohort and timing data from recent reviews/case literature. It is useful for ontology-based disease knowledge base population and phenotype annotation.


4. Genetic/molecular information (human)

4.1 Causal genes and variants

CSD is not a Mendelian genetic disease; no causal human gene or pathogenic germline variant set is expected.

4.2 Host genetic susceptibility / modifiers

No reproducible host genetic susceptibility loci, modifier genes, or protective variants were identified in the retrieved evidence corpus. (No in-corpus evidence)

4.3 Pathogen molecular factors (key virulence determinants)

The retrieved evidence supports multiple molecular determinants of B. henselae pathogenicity: - BadA (Bartonella adhesin A): implicated in host cell adhesion and biofilm formation; linked to VEGF induction and angiogenic responses. (xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 5-6, xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 2-4, gadila2025comparisonoftranscriptomic pages 1-2) - Type IV secretion systems: VirB/D4 and Trw systems contribute to endothelial and erythrocyte interactions (erythrocyte binding/invasion and persistence). (xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 5-6, xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 6-7) - BafA (Bartonella angiogenic factor A): described as binding VEGFR2 and acting as a VEGF mimic in mechanistic discussion. (xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 6-7)


5. Environmental information

5.1 Environmental factors

The dominant environmental contributors are zoonotic exposures (cats and cat-associated fleas), rather than classic toxin or pollution exposures. (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 2-3, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6)

5.2 Lifestyle factors

No specific lifestyle factors (diet, smoking, alcohol) were identified in the retrieved evidence as independent risk modifiers. (No in-corpus evidence)

5.3 Infectious agent


6. Mechanism / pathophysiology

6.1 Causal chain (high-level)

1) Inoculation via scratch/bite/lick introduces B. henselae into skin and local tissues. (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6)
2) Local immune activation with regional lymph node involvement; inflammatory cytokines including IL-2/IL-6/IL-10 have been reported in CSD patients in mechanistic review. (xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 2-4)
3) Cell tropism and persistence: bacteria invade endothelial cells and form Bartonella-containing vacuoles that resist acidification and lysosomal fusion, enabling intracellular survival; erythrocyte invasion provides an “immunological cloak”/sanctuary promoting persistent bacteremia. (xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 5-6, xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 6-7)
4) Dissemination in some hosts results in hepatosplenic, bone, ocular, and neurologic disease; neurobartonellosis review highlights multiple potential reservoirs and cell types enabling CNS effects. (bush2024neurobartonellosesemergingfrom pages 28-29)

6.2 Cellular and immune processes (with ontology suggestions)

Key processes (GO Biological Process suggestions): - Granulomatous inflammation (GO:0006954 inflammatory response; granuloma formation—closest mapping often via inflammatory response terms) supported by lymph node histopathology patterns (necrotizing granulomatous inflammation). (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7) - Angiogenesis / vasoproliferation (GO:0001525 angiogenesis) via VEGF induction and VEGF-mimic factors (BadA-associated VEGF induction; BafA–VEGFR2 mimicry described). (xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 5-6, xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 6-7) - Intracellular survival / evasion of lysosomal fusion (GO:0045087 innate immune response; GO:0045321 leukocyte activation; and processes related to endosome/lysosome trafficking), via BCVs resisting lysosomal fusion/acidification. (xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 5-6, xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 6-7) - Immune regulation via IL-10 / STAT3 axis (GO:0006955 immune response; GO:0001817 regulation of cytokine production), enabling anti-inflammatory persistence. (bush2024neurobartonellosesemergingfrom pages 28-29, xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 2-4)

Key cell types (Cell Ontology [CL] suggestions): - Vascular endothelial cell (CL:0000115), including HUVEC experimental systems used to assay virulence/angiogenesis. (kondo2025differentialvasoproliferativetraits pages 1-2, xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 5-6) - Erythrocyte (CL:0000232) for intraerythrocytic persistence. (xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 6-7) - Macrophage (CL:0000235), including possible “Trojan-horse” dissemination concept to brain. (bush2024neurobartonellosesemergingfrom pages 28-29) - Microglial cell (CL:0000129) and pericyte (CL:0000669) noted as in vitro-infected cell types in neurobartonellosis review. (bush2024neurobartonellosesemergingfrom pages 28-29) - CD34-positive hematopoietic progenitor cell (CL:0000055) as a potential reservoir niche. (xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 6-7)

Anatomy (UBERON suggestions): - Skin (UBERON:0001003) inoculation site; lymph node (UBERON:0000029) primary clinical involvement. (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3) - Spleen (UBERON:0002106) and liver (UBERON:0002107) in hepatosplenic CSD. (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4) - Retina (UBERON:0000966) and optic nerve (UBERON:0001004) in ocular disease. (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4) - Brain (UBERON:0000955) for CNS manifestations (encephalitis-like findings). (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)

6.3 Recent mechanistic developments (2023–2024 priority)


7. Anatomical structures affected

Primary: lymph nodes (regional), skin at inoculation. (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)

Secondary (disseminated/atypical): - Hepatosplenic: liver and spleen microabscesses/splenomegaly (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4) - Musculoskeletal: bone involvement/osteomyelitis-like findings (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4) - Ocular/neuro-ophthalmic: optic nerve involvement/optic neuritis, neuroretinitis (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4, lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 1-2) - CNS: encephalitis-like findings (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)


8. Temporal development

Onset pattern: typically subacute. - In review literature, inoculation lesion precedes regional lymphadenopathy by ~1–3 weeks; papule/pustule at ~7–12 days post-inoculation. (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6)

Duration/course: - Disease is often self-limited; expert recommendations note regional lymphadenopathy commonly lasts 2–3 months. (rolain2004recommendationsfortreatment pages 6-7) - Another clinical summary reports typical CSD is self-limited resolving in 2–6 months. (nguyen2024threemonthhistoryof pages 4-6)


9. Inheritance and population

9.1 Epidemiology

Structured quantitative epidemiology statistics are provided in artifact-00.

Table (click to expand)
Domain Statistic (numeric) Population/setting Source (first author year, journal) URL Notes
Incidence 4.5–9.3 outpatient diagnoses per 100,000 United States Sulaiman 2023, Cureus https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44280 Reported US outpatient diagnosis rate for CSD (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7)
Incidence 0.19–0.86 hospital admissions per 100,000 United States Sulaiman 2023, Cureus https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44280 Reported US hospitalization rate for CSD (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7)
Incidence ~13,000 annual cases United States Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Broader US annual burden cited in pediatric cohort paper (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2)
Incidence 22,000 new cases annually United States Puspitasari 2025, Open Veterinary Journal https://doi.org/10.5455/ovj.2025.v15.i5.5 Review estimate of annual US CSD burden (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 2-3)
Incidence 9.4 cases per 100,000 US children age 5–9 years Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Highest incidence noted for children 5–9 years (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2)
Incidence 6.4 per 100,000 South Atlantic region, United States Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Regional incidence cited for Georgia/South Atlantic setting (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 4-6)
Cohort size 304 cases Atlanta pediatric tertiary center, 2010–2018 Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Retrospective pediatric cohort (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 4-6, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2)
Age Median 8.1 years (IQR 5.4–12.1) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Typical school-age presentation (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Age 90.1% <14 years Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Pediatric skew of cases (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Age distribution 20.7% age 0–4; 35.5% age 5–9; 33.9% age 10–14; 9.9% age 15–19 Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Age-stratified case distribution (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Sex 51.3% female Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 156/304 female (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2)
Seasonality August 13.5% (41/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Late-summer peak (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease media 65029abb)
Seasonality September 15.5% (47/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Peak month in cohort (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease media 65029abb)
Seasonality October 12.8% (39/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Fall clustering (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease media 65029abb)
Seasonality November 12.2% (37/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Fall clustering (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease media 65029abb)
Seasonality June 2.0% (6/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Lowest month reported (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease media 65029abb)
Seasonality May 3.3% (10/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Low-prevalence spring month (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease media 65029abb)
Seasonality April 4.6% (14/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Low-prevalence spring month (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease media 65029abb)
Exposure 92.4% feline exposure (242/262) Atlanta pediatric cohort with documented exposure history Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Strong cat exposure association (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2)
Exposure 22.0% canine exposure (55/250) Atlanta pediatric cohort with documented exposure history Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Dog exposure also reported in a minority (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2)
Clinical features 78.8% lymphadenopathy (234/297) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Predominant presentation (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Clinical features 46.4% fever (141/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Common systemic symptom (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Clinical features 20.7% atypical/non-lymphadenopathy presentations (63/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Included hepatosplenic, osteomyelitis, ocular, CNS disease (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 4-6, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Lymph node site 52.0% cervical (104/200) Atlanta pediatric cohort with node-site data Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Most frequent nodal site (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Lymph node site 28.3% axillary (67/237) Atlanta pediatric cohort with node-site data Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Second most frequent nodal site (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Lymph node site 13.9% inguinal (37/266) Atlanta pediatric cohort with node-site data Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Less common nodal site (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Clinical course Median LAD duration 9 days (IQR 6–21) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Duration at presentation (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Labs 26.6% leukocytosis (58/218) Atlanta pediatric cohort tested for CBC abnormality Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Laboratory abnormality rate (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Labs 49.6% elevated ESR (55/111) Atlanta pediatric cohort tested for ESR Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Frequent inflammatory marker elevation (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Labs 18.7% elevated CRP (34/184) Atlanta pediatric cohort tested for CRP Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 CRP elevation less frequent than ESR (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Diagnostics 58.2% had serology available (177/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Serology was the main diagnostic test (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Diagnostics 63.2% IgM ≥1:20 (110/174) Atlanta pediatric cohort tested serologically Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Positivity threshold used in cohort (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Diagnostics 95.5% IgG ≥1:128 (169/177) Atlanta pediatric cohort tested serologically Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 High IgG seropositivity among tested cases (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Diagnostics 11.2% underwent histopathology (36/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Tissue diagnosis used in a minority (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Histopathology 38.2% necrotizing granulomatous inflammation (13/34) Atlanta pediatric cohort with pathology result available Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Most common biopsy pattern reported (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Histopathology 8.8% Warthin–Starry positive (3/34) Atlanta pediatric cohort with pathology result available Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Silver stain positivity was uncommon (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Diagnostics 4.3% had PCR performed (13/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 PCR used infrequently (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Diagnostics 3 PCR-positive lymph nodes Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Low absolute PCR yield in this cohort (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Imaging 71.1% had ≥1 radiologic study (216/304) Atlanta pediatric cohort Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Extensive imaging use in tertiary setting (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4, amin2022catscratchdisease media 65029abb)
Imaging 36.4% splenomegaly (20/55) Atlanta pediatric cohort with abdominal imaging Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Among those imaged abdominally (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Imaging 38.1% splenic and/or hepatic microabscesses (21/55) Atlanta pediatric cohort with abdominal imaging Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Important marker of hepatosplenic disease (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Imaging 9.1% abdominal lymphadenopathy (5/55) Atlanta pediatric cohort with abdominal imaging Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Less common abdominal imaging finding (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Imaging 17.2% encephalitis-like findings (5/29) Atlanta pediatric cohort with neuroimaging Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 CNS involvement on imaging (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)
Imaging 27.6% optic neuritis (8/29) Atlanta pediatric cohort with neuroimaging Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Neuro-ophthalmic manifestation on MRI/neuroimaging (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4, amin2022catscratchdisease media 65029abb)
Imaging 35.0% bone MRI involvement (7/20) Atlanta pediatric cohort with bone MRI Amin 2022, Open Forum Infectious Diseases https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 Suggestive of osteomyelitis/bone disease subset (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 3-4)

Table: This table compiles explicit quantitative epidemiology and clinical statistics for cat-scratch disease from the retrieved literature, with emphasis on U.S. burden estimates and the Atlanta pediatric cohort. It is useful as a structured evidence summary for knowledge-base population and citation tracking.

Key recent/usable estimates from retrieved sources include: - US outpatient diagnosis rates 4.5–9.3 per 100,000 and hospitalization 0.19–0.86 per 100,000 (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7). - Pediatric incidence peak cited at 9.4 per 100,000 among US children age 5–9 years (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2). - Seasonality in a large Atlanta pediatric cohort showed peaks in August–November, with September highest (15.5% of diagnoses). (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, amin2022catscratchdisease media 65029abb)

9.2 Demographics

9.3 Genetic inheritance

Not applicable (infectious disease). No inherited transmission pattern.


10. Diagnostics

A structured diagnostics summary including cutoffs and performance notes is provided in artifact-02.

Table (click to expand)
Section Test / Clinical scenario Specimen / setting Positivity criteria / regimen Performance / evidence notes MAXO suggestion Key citations / URLs
Diagnostics Serology (IFA / ELISA) Serum In the Atlanta pediatric cohort, seropositivity was defined as IgM >1:20 and IgG ≥1:128; another clinical source notes IFA/EIA >1:64 as positive, and a fourfold rise in paired sera as definitive Mainstay diagnostic approach because culture is difficult; in the Atlanta cohort, IgM ≥1:20 in 63.2% (110/174) and IgG ≥1:128 in 95.5% (169/177); ELISA/IFA described as the “best initial test” in review literature (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, nguyen2024threemonthhistoryof pages 4-6, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 6-7) MAXO:0000014 serological test Amin 2022 https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426; Nguyen 2024 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.66134; Puspitasari 2025 https://doi.org/10.5455/ovj.2025.v15.i5.5 (amin2022catscratchdisease pages 1-2, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, nguyen2024threemonthhistoryof pages 4-6, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 6-7)
Diagnostics Serology examples from individual cases Serum Reported high titers include IgM >1:20, IgG 1:4096 and IgG >1:1024, IgM 1:640 Illustrates that markedly elevated titers may support diagnosis even when PCR is negative; useful in atypical or malignancy-mimicking presentations (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5) MAXO:0000014 serological test Sulaiman 2023 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44280; Smith 2024 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.66840 (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5)
Diagnostics PCR Lymph node tissue; blood/tissue in selected cases No universal cutoff reported in retrieved evidence; positivity is pathogen DNA detection Lymph node PCR sensitivity reported as 30–60%, increasing to ~87% when combined with histology and serology; in the Atlanta cohort, PCR was used in 4.3% (13/304) and only 3 lymph nodes were PCR-positive; PCR described as lower sensitivity but very high specificity than serology (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 6-7) MAXO:0000127 polymerase chain reaction assay Sulaiman 2023 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44280; Amin 2022 https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426; Puspitasari 2025 https://doi.org/10.5455/ovj.2025.v15.i5.5 (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 6-7)
Diagnostics Histopathology Lymph node biopsy / aspirate Characteristic features: stellate granulomas with central necrosis, neutrophilic infiltration, palisading histiocytes; other reports describe granulomatous inflammation with multiple microabscesses Helpful when diagnosis is uncertain or malignancy must be excluded; in the Atlanta cohort, histopathology was done in 11.2% (36/304), with necrotizing granulomatous inflammation in 38.2% (13/34) and Warthin–Starry positive in 8.8% (3/34); Warthin–Starry may show bacilli but a negative stain does not exclude CSD (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, nguyen2024threemonthhistoryof pages 4-6, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3) MAXO:0000373 biopsy of lymph node Sulaiman 2023 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44280; Nguyen 2024 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.66134; Puspitasari 2025 https://doi.org/10.5455/ovj.2025.v15.i5.5; Amin 2022 https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426 (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, nguyen2024threemonthhistoryof pages 4-6, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6, amin2022catscratchdisease pages 2-3)
Diagnostics mNGS Blood, tissue biopsy, drainage fluid; aqueous humor in ocular disease Positive when B. henselae sequence reads are identified; ocular case reported 521 reads in aqueous humor Valuable for atypical disease and when history/serology are equivocal; in the pediatric mNGS-confirmed series, B. henselae was detected in all 20 specimens; review notes blood culture sensitivity around ~20%, supporting molecular testing (lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 1-2, lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 3-4) MAXO:0000140 metagenomic sequencing assay Li 2024 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12348-024-00387-0; Lai 2026 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1743423 (lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 1-2, lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 3-4)
Treatment Typical lymphadenitis / uncomplicated regional CSD Immunocompetent patient with localized disease Azithromycin 10 mg/kg on day 1, then 5 mg/kg on days 2–5 Most uncomplicated disease is self-limited; antibiotics are often not required, but azithromycin is the best-supported short regimen for reducing node size/pain; review/case sources cite this as standard for typical disease (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 6-7, rolain2004recommendationsfortreatment pages 6-7) MAXO:0001298 azithromycin therapy Sulaiman 2023 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44280; Puspitasari 2025 https://doi.org/10.5455/ovj.2025.v15.i5.5; Rolain 2004 https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.48.6.1921-1933.2004 (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 6-7, rolain2004recommendationsfortreatment pages 6-7)
Treatment Observation / supportive care for uncomplicated disease Immunocompetent patient with mild-to-moderate lymphadenitis No antibiotic regimen Multiple sources state disease is usually self-limited, often resolving over weeks to months; one report notes typical CSD resolves in 2–6 months, and another that lymphadenopathy commonly lasts 2–3 months (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, rolain2004recommendationsfortreatment pages 6-7, nguyen2024threemonthhistoryof pages 4-6, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6) MAXO:0000011 clinical observation Sulaiman 2023 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44280; Rolain 2004 https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.48.6.1921-1933.2004; Nguyen 2024 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.66134; Puspitasari 2025 https://doi.org/10.5455/ovj.2025.v15.i5.5 (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, rolain2004recommendationsfortreatment pages 6-7, nguyen2024threemonthhistoryof pages 4-6, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6)
Treatment Suppurative / painful lymph node Suppurated node, painful adenitis Needle aspiration for decompression; surgical management in selected persistent cases Needle aspiration may relieve pain within 24–48 h; persistent/worsening nodes may need biopsy or excision to exclude malignancy; intranodal gentamicin and surgery have been reported in the literature, but evidence is limited (rolain2004recommendationsfortreatment pages 6-7, sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7) MAXO:0000058 needle aspiration; MAXO:0001175 surgical excision Rolain 2004 https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.48.6.1921-1933.2004; Sulaiman 2023 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44280 (rolain2004recommendationsfortreatment pages 6-7, sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7)
Treatment Hepatosplenic / systemic disease Disseminated disease, prolonged fever, organ involvement Pediatric mNGS series used azithromycin alone (1/20), azithromycin + rifampicin (8/20), doxycycline alone (1/20), doxycycline + rifampicin (10/20) In the 20-case pediatric series, all improved and were discharged, though one child with hepatic/renal involvement had progression on CT at ~1 month; systemic disease often prompts combination therapy despite limited trial evidence (lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 3-4) MAXO:0001298 azithromycin therapy; MAXO:0000574 doxycycline therapy; MAXO:0000096 rifampicin therapy Lai 2026 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1743423 (lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 3-4)
Treatment Ocular disease / neuroretinitis / CNS involvement Neuroretinitis, optic neuritis, encephalopathy/CNS disease Doxycycline 100 mg twice daily + rifampin 300 mg twice daily is the classic recommended adult combination for ocular/CNS Bartonella disease Frequently used for complicated ocular/CNS disease because of tissue penetration; case reports describe good visual recovery after doxycycline + rifampin; Rolain recommends this combination for CNS involvement (rolain2004recommendationsfortreatment pages 6-7, lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 1-2, smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5) MAXO:0000574 doxycycline therapy; MAXO:0000096 rifampicin therapy Rolain 2004 https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.48.6.1921-1933.2004; Li 2024 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12348-024-00387-0; Avaylon 2023 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.45866 (via retrieved paper list); Smith 2024 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.66840 (rolain2004recommendationsfortreatment pages 6-7, lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 1-2, smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5)
Treatment Ocular disease with inflammatory involvement Uveitis / neuroretinitis with optic disc inflammation Systemic antibiotics plus corticosteroids used in ocular series; one pediatric case received doxycycline + methylprednisolone for 6 months with improvement Ocular case series reported improvement in visual acuity and lesions with systemic antibiotics; corticosteroids are often reserved for marked optic nerve or inflammatory involvement and should accompany antimicrobial treatment (lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 1-2) MAXO:0000574 doxycycline therapy; MAXO:0000016 corticosteroid therapy Hong 2023 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12886-023-03063-4; Acar 2023 https://doi.org/10.4274/tjo.galenos.2022.44692 (lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 1-2)
Treatment Immunocompromised disease / bacillary angiomatosis HIV/immunosuppression, disseminated Bartonella Doxycycline or erythromycin for 10 days to 2 months cited in case-review literature Complicated and immunocompromised disease is more likely to require prolonged therapy; evidence is largely case-based and expert review rather than trials (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 6-7) MAXO:0000574 doxycycline therapy; MAXO:0000100 erythromycin therapy Sulaiman 2023 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44280; Puspitasari 2025 https://doi.org/10.5455/ovj.2025.v15.i5.5 (sulaiman2023catscratchdisease pages 4-7, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 6-7)
Treatment Alternative antibiotics reported in retrospective literature Selected systemic or refractory cases Retrospective effectiveness rates reported for rifampin 87%, ciprofloxacin 84%, gentamicin 73%, TMP-SMX 58% These data come from non-randomized retrospective literature and should be interpreted cautiously; they are useful mainly when standard regimens cannot be used or in refractory disease (nguyen2024threemonthhistoryof pages 4-6) MAXO:0000096 rifampicin therapy; MAXO:0000085 ciprofloxacin therapy; MAXO:0000111 gentamicin therapy; MAXO:0000154 trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole therapy Nguyen 2024 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.66134 (nguyen2024threemonthhistoryof pages 4-6)

Table: This table summarizes the main diagnostic modalities and treatment approaches for cat-scratch disease, including practical cutoff values, performance notes, commonly used regimens, and ontology-ready MAXO action suggestions. It is useful for translating the literature into a structured disease knowledge-base entry.

10.1 Common diagnostic approaches (current practice)

10.2 Differential diagnosis (high-yield)

CSD can mimic neoplastic causes of lymphadenopathy (e.g., lymphoma) and granulomatous infections (e.g., tuberculosis), motivating biopsy and/or molecular testing in atypical presentations. (smith2024catscratchdiseasemimicking pages 3-5, lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 3-4)


11. Outcome / prognosis


12. Treatment

Treatment and MAXO action suggestions are summarized in artifact-02.

12.1 Uncomplicated lymphadenitis

12.2 Complicated disease (ocular/CNS; disseminated)

12.3 Evidence quality note (expert analysis)

The treatment literature remains heterogeneous; classic expert recommendations note limited antibiotic benefit in typical lymphadenitis, while complicated disease is often treated with combination regimens based on pathophysiology (intracellular niches) and case-series experience rather than high-quality randomized trials. (rolain2004recommendationsfortreatment pages 6-7, nguyen2024threemonthhistoryof pages 4-6)


13. Prevention

Primary prevention is focused on interrupting zoonotic transmission: - Flea control on cats and avoiding scratches/bites/licks that break skin are consistently recommended. (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 6-7, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6, nemade2023catscratchdisease pages 1-3) - Human-to-human transmission has not been documented, supporting zoonotic prevention emphasis. (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 2-3)


14. Other species / natural disease (One Health)

14.1 Reservoirs and vectors

14.2 Zoonotic transmission routes

14.3 Other species relevance

Reviews note broader Bartonella host ranges and occasional discussion of dogs/other mammals/ticks in the ecology of bartonellosis, though CSD in humans remains most strongly associated with feline exposure. (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 2-3, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6)


15. Model organisms and experimental systems

15.1 In vitro models

15.2 Natural-host / in vivo models

  • Experimental inoculation studies in cats (natural reservoir) are discussed in review literature, typically showing asymptomatic or mild/transient signs, supporting cats as a reservoir model relevant to One Health. (puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 5-6)

Visual evidence from a key cohort paper

The Atlanta pediatric cohort paper includes figures/tables summarizing month-by-month seasonality and radiologic findings; these were retrieved as images and support the quantitative seasonality and multi-organ involvement described above. (amin2022catscratchdisease media 65029abb, amin2022catscratchdisease media 4aebcb1f, amin2022catscratchdisease media 79399fa7, amin2022catscratchdisease media 3ce93ca4)


Recent developments (2023–2024 emphasis)

1) Expanded molecular diagnostics for atypical disease: mNGS has been used to confirm ocular bartonellosis from intraocular fluid (aqueous humor), enabling diagnosis even when classic history or serology is limited. (Li et al., 2024-04; https://doi.org/10.1186/s12348-024-00387-0) (lai2026clinicalandepidemiological pages 1-2)
2) Mechanistic consolidation of immune-evasion/persistence: 2024 mechanistic review emphasizes intracellular vacuoles resisting lysosomal fusion, erythrocyte sanctuaries, immune modulation (IL-10), and biofilm-mediated persistence—concepts that explain culture-negativity and chronic/recurrent manifestations. (Xi et al., 2024-03; https://doi.org/10.1080/21505594.2024.2322961) (xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 5-6, xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 2-4, xi2024sneakytacticsingenious pages 6-7)
3) Broadened neurologic phenotype framing (“neurobartonelloses”): 2024 review highlights the breadth of reported neurologic syndromes and plausible vascular/immune mechanisms (VEGF-driven remodeling, intracellular niches, macrophage shuttling). (Bush et al., 2024-10; https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-024-06491-3) (bush2024neurobartonellosesemergingfrom pages 28-29)


Limitations of this report (evidence gaps in retrieved corpus)

  • Ontology identifiers (MONDO/MeSH/ICD-10/ICD-11/Orphanet/OMIM) were not directly available in the retrieved full-text set, so they are not populated here.
  • Human genetic susceptibility evidence (GWAS/ClinVar/ClinGen) was not identified in the retrieved set.
  • Some frequently cited classic RCTs (e.g., 1998 azithromycin trial) were not obtainable as full text in this run; key regimen details were nonetheless captured via other authoritative sources in-corpus. (rolain2004recommendationsfortreatment pages 6-7, puspitasari2025uncoveringthetruth pages 6-7)

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  25. (amin2022catscratchdisease media 79399fa7): Omayma Amin, Christina A Rostad, Mark Gonzalez, Bradley S Rostad, Shelley Caltharp, Elizabeth Quincer, Briana A Betke, Nicole L Gottdenker, Jonathan J Wilson, Andi L Shane, Mohnd Elmontser, Andres Camacho-Gonzalez, Tal Senior, Oliver Smith, Evan J Anderson, and Inci Yildirim. Cat scratch disease: 9 years of experience at a pediatric center. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Aug 2022. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426, doi:10.1093/ofid/ofac426. This article has 33 citations and is from a peer-reviewed journal.

  26. (amin2022catscratchdisease media 3ce93ca4): Omayma Amin, Christina A Rostad, Mark Gonzalez, Bradley S Rostad, Shelley Caltharp, Elizabeth Quincer, Briana A Betke, Nicole L Gottdenker, Jonathan J Wilson, Andi L Shane, Mohnd Elmontser, Andres Camacho-Gonzalez, Tal Senior, Oliver Smith, Evan J Anderson, and Inci Yildirim. Cat scratch disease: 9 years of experience at a pediatric center. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Aug 2022. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac426, doi:10.1093/ofid/ofac426. This article has 33 citations and is from a peer-reviewed journal.