DISSEMINATED CAT-SCRATCH DISEASE - DETECTION OF ROCHALIMAEA-HENSELAE IN AFFECTED TISSUE

An immunocompetent 9-year-old boy with disseminated catscratch disease involving spleen, cervical and abdominal lymph nodes, skull, and one clavicle is reported. Antibodies to Rochalimaea quintana and R. hensel ae were detected, at increasing, then decreasing concentration. DNA ex tracted from the biopsied skull lesion was amplified by polymerase cha in reaction and hybridized with species-specific oligonucleotides prov ing the presence of R. henselae in affected tissue. Our findings sugge st that R. henselea plays a pathogenic role in cat-scratch disease.