Bartonellosis: The Achilles' Heel of Cat Love

Abstract

Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a zoonotic disease known for centuries caused by Gram-negative intracellular bacilli (Bartonella henselae) generally leading to a benign, self-limiting disease. The main routes of transmission for CSD from infected young cats to human beings were through biting or scratching of contaminated cats. Here, we report a case with acute kidney injury (AKI) with vasopressor-resistant severe hypotension, and pancytopenia who had a history of multiple scratches by stray kittens. The patient was treated with ciprofloxacin and doxycycline based on the diagnosis of Bartonellosis. Disseminated involvement of visceral organs (especially kidneys) in patients with Bartonellosis is very rare. Up till now, 20 cases have been reported as the cause of kidney failure. The presence of limited data about Bartonellosis makes it less recognizable among clinicians leading to delayed diagnosis. We would like to emphasize the importance of unvaccinated cat scratch history in evaluating patients with AKI.