Kitten lovers beware: CDC warns of cat-scratch disease risk

Attention cat lovers: your feline friends may be harboring
germs that can make humans seriously sick.

Though the threat is small, experts warn that people with
pet cats should be aware of the risks and take steps to prevent the
illness known as
cat-scratch disease.

The disease is caused by a bacterium called Bartonella
henselae and is transmitted from cats to humans through bites or scratches. 

Also called cat-scratch fever, the illness can cause
symptoms ranging from
headache to fever to swollen lymph nodes. In rare instances, the disease can lead to further complications of the brain or heart.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a
report this month estimating the prevalence of cat-scratch disease in the
United States. Results showed that each year, about 12,000 people are diagnosed
with the illness and 500 require hospitalization.

To arrive at those numbers, researchers analyzed national
health insurance claims databases from 2005 to 2013 for patients age 65 and
younger.

“Cat-scratch disease, while rare, still causes a significant
number of annual infections, some of which can lead to encephalitis as well as
endocarditis, two potentially deadly conditions,” Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency
physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told CBS News. Glatter was
not involved in the CDC study.

The report showed that incidence of cat-scratch disease was
highest among people who live in southern states and
among children ages 5 to 9.

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Greg Nelson, a veterinarian and director of surgery and
diagnostic imaging at Central Veterinary Associates in Valley Stream, New York,
told CBS News that the bacteria that causes cat-scratch fever has been found in as
many as 35 percent of cats. He emphasized that when you contrast that to the
number of cases of infected humans, the risk is very low.

“We don’t want people who have cats to panic. The likelihood
of your cat possessing this bacteria and giving it to you is extremely small,
but with that being said, you shouldn’t play aggressively with your cat or
teach them to bite or scratch,” he said.

Further steps, such as hand washing after handling cats
and cleaning any bites and scratches with soap and water, can also help prevent problems.

“Washing your hands? helps to remove infectious feces from
fleas that may be responsible for transmission of the disease,” Glatter said.

If you do get bitten or scratched by a cat, monitor the site
closely and contact your physician if you notice swelling or redness, Nelson
said. The disease can be treated with
antibiotics?.

He also recommends flea prevention medication, even for
indoor cats, as the disease is closely associated with these parasites.

If a cat is particularly prone to biting or
scratching, it’s best to keep it away from small children, the elderly, or
anyone with a compromised immune system, Nelson said, since they are more at risk of developing complications from
cat-scratch disease.

“If you do all this, you
should really have little worry,” he said.