Cat Scratch Virus Symptoms

While cats and kittens tend to be a favorite pet of many families, about 40 percent of cats will be a carrier of the bacteria that causes cat scratch disease in their lifetimes, according to the Center for Disease Control. The most common means of transmission occurs when someone receives a bite or a scratch, and in some cases, a lick will cause infection.

  1. Bump or Blister

    • A bump or blister around the site of the scratch will usually be the first sign of an infection. These bumps or blisters tend to be mistaken for a bug bite. Referred to as an inoculation lesion, these areas do not tend to be painful so they often go ignored.

    Fatigue

    • Fatigue manifests itself as low energy and the lack of motivation to do anything, according to the Mayo Clinic. They also point out that fatigue and sleepiness often accompany each other, but fatigue relates more closely to tiredness than sleepiness.

    Fever

    • The fever that can accompany an infection will not generally run higher than 101 degrees. A fever signals that a body is fighting an infection, and is usually not considered serious until it reaches 103 degrees in an adult, according to the Mayo Clinic.

    Headache

    • A headache is one of the typical symptoms of cat scratch disease infections. Generally it will not be severe enough to seek medical treatment on its own, but it still serves as a good indicator. If a headache accompanies a stiff neck or nausea, you should seek medical help, according to the Mayo Clinic.

    Lymph Node Swelling

    • Swelling of the lymph nodes serves as the definitive symptom of infection, and will manifest themselves within a few weeks of the initial infection. The lymph nodes closest to the infection site will be the ones that will swell. The swollen nodes tend to appear mostly in the neck and the upper arm area.

    Rare Symptoms

    • Some of the more rare symptoms are much more serious than the others, but will only occur in people with weakened immune systems, such as AIDS or HIV patients or the elderly and infants. These rare symptoms include severe infections of certain internal organs and the joints. The most rare, but deadliest symptom is the possibility of inflammation of the brain or seizures.