Korean J Lab Med.  2010 Feb;30(1):34-37. 10.3343/kjlm.2010.30.1.34.

A Report of Cat Scratch Disease in Korea Confirmed by PCR Amplification of the 16S-23S rRNA Intergenic Region of Bartonella henselae

• Suh B
• Chun JK
• Yong D
• Lee YS
• Jeong SH
• Yang WI
• Kim DS

• KMID: 1096816
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3343/kjlm.2010.30.1.34

Abstract

We report a case of cat scratch disease in an 8-yr-old girl who presented with fever and enlargement of both axillary lymph nodes. Both aerobic and anaerobic cultures of the lymph node aspirate were negative for microbial growth. Gram staining and Warthin-Starry silver staining did not reveal any organism. Purified DNA from the PCR-amplicon of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic region was sequenced and showed 99.7% identity with the corresponding sequence of Bartonella henselae strain Houston-1. Our findings suggest that the internal transcribed spacer is a reliable region for PCR identification of Bartonella species. In patients with lymphadenitis, a history of contact with cats or dogs necessitates the use of diagnostic approaches that employ not only the conventional staining and culture but also molecular methods to detect B. henselae.

Keyword

Bartonella henselae; Cat scratch disease; Polymerase chain reaction

MeSH Terms

Animals
Bartonella henselae/genetics/*isolation & purification
Cat-Scratch Disease/complications/*diagnosis
Cats
Child
Dogs
Female
Humans
Lymphadenitis/complications
*Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/*genetics
RNA, Ribosomal, 23S/*genetics
Republic of Korea
Sequence Analysis, DNA

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