Isolation of <i>Bartonella henselae</i> DNA from the Peripheral Blood of a Patient with Cat Scratch Disease up to 4 Months after the Cat Scratch Injury

Abstract

We report the case of a girl with cervical lymphadenitis and a persistent primary lesion of cat scratch disease (CSD). Bartonella henselae DNA was isolated from plasma samples collected 3 and 4 months after the cat scratch, indicating that recurrent and long-term shedding of Bartonella DNA into peripheral blood may occur in typical CSD.