STERNAL ABSCESS DUE TO BARTONELLA (ROCHALIMAEA) HENSELAE IN A RENAL TRANSPLANT PATIENT

Bartonella henselae, previously called Rochalimaea henselae, is the ca usative agent of cat scratch disease (CSD) in immunocompetent subjects and bacillary angiomatosis in immunocompromised ones. Bone lesions ar e common in bacillary angiomatosis, but not in CSD. We present the cas e of a patient with a renal transplant treated by immunosuppressive th erapy who developed a sternal abscess with a histological pattern of C SD. The CT pattern was that of a lytic bone lesion with adjacent fluid collection. The diagnosis was made on the basis of a polymerase chain reaction amplification performed on bone material. Bartonella hensela e is a newly described bacteria that causes CSD in a normal host and b acillary angiomatosis in immunocompromised patients. We report a case of an osteolytic lesion of the sternum with adjacent fluid collection related to CSD, which occurred in a patient with a renal transplant.