Bacillary angiomatosis (BA) is a bacterial infection caused by either Bartonella henselae or Bartonella quintana. Bartonella henselae is most often transmitted through a cat scratch or bite, though ticks and fleas may also act as a vector. On the other hand, Bartonella quintana is usually transmitted by lice. The Diseases Database is a free website that provides information about the relationships between medical conditions, symptoms, and medications. ... eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996. ... Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. ... A bacterial infection of Bartonella henselae causes the cat-scratch disease. ...

BA is characterised by the proliferation of blood vessels, resulting in them forming tumour-like masses in the skin and other organs. It most commonly manifests in people with AIDS, rarely appearing in those who are immunocompetent. While curable, it is potentially fatal if not treated. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections in humans resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ...

Symptoms

Cutaneous BA is characterised by the presence of lesions on or under the skin. Appearing in numbers from one to hundreds, these lesions may take several forms:

• papules or nodules which are red, globular and non-blanching, with a vascular appearance
• purplish nodules sufficiently similar to Kaposi's sarcoma that a biopsy may be required to verify which of the two it is
• a purplish lichenoid plaque
• a subcutaneous nodule which may have ulceration, similar to a bacterial abcess

While cutaneous BA is the most common form of BA, BA can also affect several other parts of the body, such as the brain, bone, bone marrow, lymph nodes, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, spleen and liver. Symptoms vary depending on which parts of the body are affected; for example, those whose livers are affected may have an enlarged liver and fever, while those with osseous BA will experience intense pain in the affected area. A biopsy (in Greek: bios = life and opsy = look/appearance) is a medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination. ... An abscess is a collection of pus collected in a cavity formed by the tissue on the basis of an infectious process (usually caused by bacteria or parasites) or other foreign materials (e. ... Hepatomegaly is the condition of having an enlarged liver. ... An analogue medical thermometer showing the temperature of 38. ...

Treatment and prevention

BA responds dramatically to several antibiotics. Usually, erythromycin will cause the skin lesions to gradually fade away in the next four weeks, resulting in complete recovery. Doxycycline may also be used. However, if the infection does not respond to either of these, the medication is usually changed to tetracycline. If the infection is serious, then a bactericidal medication may be coupled with the antibiotics. Erythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic which has an antimicrobial spectrum similar to or slightly wider than that of penicillin, and is often used for people who have an allergy to penicillins. ... Doxycycline is a member of the tetracycline antibiotics group and is commonly used to treat a variety of infections. ... Tetracycline (INN) (IPA: ) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic produced by the streptomyces bacterium, indicated for use against many bacterial infections. ...

If a cat is carrying Bartonella henselae, then it will not exhibit any symptoms. The cat need not be gotten rid of, as long as sufficient precautions are taken, such as keeping it free of fleas, avoiding interaction with it that may result in a scratch or bite, etc.

See also

• Cat scratch fever
• Trench fever
• Angiomatosis

It has been suggested that Petzetakis disease be merged into this article or section. ... Trench fever is a moderately serious disease, transmitted by body lice, that infected more than a million soldiers during World War I and World War II. The disease persists among the homeless. ... Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) is a rare inherited genetic condition involving the abnormal growth of tumors in parts of the body which are particularly rich in blood supply. ...

External links

• FPnotebook HIV6
• Gasquet S, Maurin M, Brouqui P, Lepidi H, Raoult D (1998). "Bacillary angiomatosis in immunocompromised patients.". AIDS 12 (14): 1793-803. PMID 9792380.