Cat scratch disease in Connecticut: epidemiology, risk factors, and evaluation of a new diagnostic test

The factors most strongly associated with cat scratch disease are owning a kitten, being scratched or bitten by a kitten and owning a kitten with fleas. Cat scratch disease, a disease of the lymph nodes, usually runs a benign course but can sometimes lead to serious consequences. Risk factors for the disease in Connecticut were studied in 56 children who developed cat scratch disease and in 56 children who did not. Evidence of infection with the bacterium Rochalimaea henselae was found in blood samples of kittens implicated in transmission of cat scratch disease as well as in 84% of the patients with the disease. Other factors associated with the disease were the age and sex of the cats. Patients were more likely to own younger, male cats than the comparison group. No significant association was found between the ownership of an adult cat and development of the disease.