Rochalimaea : de l'angiomatose bacillaire à la maladie des griffes du chat

[Cat scratch disease in immunocompetent children]

First cause of chronic benign lymphadenopathy, cat scratch disease occurs mainly in children and young adults. The nature of its bacterial agents is not definitely established, but Atlanta's CDC actually considers Afipia felis and Rochalimaea hensaela as the agents of the disease. It usually presents as chronic adenitis but there are severe forms of the disease with systemic manifestation. In such forms, new techniques such as serology and molecular biology are particularly useful for the diagnosis. The prognosis is always excellent and an antibiotic treatment is only recommended for systemic forms to reduce the duration of the disease.

[A little known cause of persistent fever and granulomatous hepatitis in children: cat scratch disease]

BACKGROUND

Extensive hepatic and splenic involvement in cat-scratch disease has rarely been reported.

CASE REPORT

A 2 1/2 year-old boy suffered for 2 weeks from high-grade fever, abdominal pain and alteration of his general condition. Ultrasonography revealed multiple hypoechogenic nodules in liver and spleen. The CT scan also showed hypodense lesions. An open liver biopsy was performed 5 weeks after the onset of illness. Histopathology of a resected nodule demonstrated neutrophilic granulomatous inflammation with central abscess formation. Recent cat exposure, suppurated epitrochlear lymph node 15 days before admission were also consistent with cat-scratch disease which was confirmed by elevated anti-Rochalimaea antibody titers. Follow-up showed complete resolution of all hepatic and splenic lesions within 6 months and emergence of splenic calcifications.

CONCLUSION

Cat-scratch disease should be considered in the diagnosis of fever of unknown origin and hepatosplenic abscesses in children.