Dermatologists advise people should be cautious when playing with cats and remember to wash their hands afterwards to prevent Cat Scratch Disease. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Felines can cause blindness

Although 28-year-old Cui Haijiao loves cats very much, he will never dare touch one again. That's after he got Cat Scratch Disease (CSD) last June. Cui was bitten by a stray cat and was immediately injected with the rabies vaccine. But several months later, he noticed his lymph nodes swelling under his arm and around his neck. "I did not expect to contract Cat Scratch Disease from a cat bite. If I knew about this disease and how serious it can be, I would have stayed far away from cats. I would also have visited the doctor immediately," said Cui, who is still not cured.

CSD is an amphixenosis caused by the bacteria Bartonella henselae carried by cats and transmitted to humans if they have been scratched, bitten, or licked by cats.

"Compared with rabies, people have less awareness about CSD and sometimes it can delay the treatment thereof," said Xu Hongjun, chief dermatologist at Beijing's Civil Aviation General Hospital.

Xu pointed out that in most cases, there is no need for panic, as an infected person can heal without treatment within a year, if there are no severe complications. In his clinical experience, the disease is rarely seen in China. Classic symptoms are swollen lymph nodes on the head, neck or arms, which appear between two and four weeks after the person has been scratched or bitten. The symptoms can last two to five months.

"Those with a weaker immune system are more susceptible and the conditions will likely worsen. Among different age groups, children and young people are the most susceptible to it," said Xu.

If a person's eyes are affected, it will also cause conjunctivitis, which in the most severe case could lead to blindness. In rare cases, patients will get delirium syndrome or splenomegaly, said Xu, who has seen several cases of this during his practice.

The New York Daily News reported on May 30 that a woman from Ohio in the US suddenly went blind in her left eye after one of her cats licked her. At first, she thought it was conjunctivitis. But more than a month later, the local doctors discovered that her blindness had been caused by CSD.

For Cui, it's been a long road to recovery.

"Eleven months have passed and my lymph nodes are still swollen. I am very worried about it," he said. Cui said while he found that the lymph nodes did shrink, when he drank alcohol or stayed up late, they would swell up again.

"If there are no serious complications, the lymph nodes will shrink gradually," said Xu. "As in the case of Cui and the American patient, CSD can easily be neglected or misdiagnosed because the awareness of the disease is poor and this disease could be lurking for a period of time."

If one is scratched or bitten by cats, especially stray cats, the injuries need to be disinfected immediately. If blood is visible on the wound, one should see a doctor to avoid an infection.

"Do not think that you will be fine once you get a rabies vaccine, because it can not cure CSD," warned Xu.

To prevent CSD, people, especially children and infants, should avoid being too intimate with cats. Remember to wash your hands after playing with pets and do not let cats lick any wounds, said Xu.