infectious diseases
Cat Scratch Disease
Treatment of Cat Scratch Disease
Local heat and analgesics Sometimes antibiotics for immunocompromised patients Treatment of cat-scratch disease in immunocompetent patients is local heat application and analgesics for this typically self-limited disease. If a lymph node is fluctuant, needle aspiration usually relieves the pain. Antibiotic treatment is not clearly beneficial and generally should not be given for localized infection in immunocompetent patients. However,azithromycinordoxycyclineis often given to reduce adenopathy and perhaps decrease the risk of systemic spread. A fluoroquinolone,rifampin,gentamicin, ordoxycyclinemay be used for bacteremia in AIDS patients. Prolonged therapy (eg, weeks to months) is usually necessary for bacteremia to clear. In vitro antibiotic susceptibilities often do not correlate with clinical results. 