interesting facts
- In the United States 22,000 cases of CSD are found annually
- Kids are most likely to be infected with this disease
- CSD is short for Cat Scratch Disease, but it is sometimes also known as Cat Scratch Fever
- Scientists believe that almost all cats have Bartonella Henselae infection at some time in their lives. Most often it is caught in their younger years.
- The disease has been recorded for around for about 100 years
- Once you have had this disease you are immune to Bartonella Henselae for the rest of your life
- Fleas spread this disease from cat to cat or kitten to kitten.
- Fleas spread the bacteria between cats, although there's no evidence that fleas can transmit the disease to humans. The bacteria live in infected cats' saliva but don't make the animals sick; in fact, kittens or cats may carry the bacteria for months without showing any symptoms.
- Kittens are most likely to have Bartonella Henselae in their saliva than older cats
- You often see people infected in colder climates/temperatures, which may have to do with fleas life cycles