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The onset of symptoms is not immediate. It takes between one and two weeks after a bite or scratch to notice the first symptoms, which corresponds to the incubation time.
The appearance of these is done in stages.
Within one to three weeks, the infected person has lymph nodes. If the person is hit in the arm or hand, the nodes are formed under the armpit. If the person is affected in the leg or foot, the nodes appear in the groin. On the other hand, if the person is reached in the face, the glands form in the neck or behind the ears. These nodes can very well persist for several months.
The infected person most often develops a fever, more or less strong.
The area affected by the scratch or bite is inflamed. It turns red and a skin lesion is formed. It often resembles a sort of purulent pustule which is then covered with a crust.
Other symptoms are possible, such as feeling tired, headache, sore throat, loss of appetite or some joint pain.
Most of the time, the disease is mild and easy to treat, without sequelae. However, in the most fragile subjects, it can happen that the infected person develops muscle pain, eye disorders (conjunctivitis type) or neurological disorders. Some people with fragile health may develop cardiac (endocarditis), respiratory (pneumonia) or liver (cysts in the liver) complications. These infectious complications occur only in 5 to 10% of cases.
4 to 6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants are counted each year in France. Cat scratch disease remains rare, but it exists! We must therefore be vigilant.
Diagnosis of cat scratch disease
When the disease is suspected, the diagnosis can only be confirmed by positive serology or by PCR tests. If the diagnosis remains uncertain - especially since other infections have similar characteristics - a research examination of microorganisms is carried out.
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