Cat-scratch disease is usually a benign, self-limited disease.
Infection may be asymptomatic but is commonly associated with painful regional
lymphadenitis. Occasionally, disease may result in systemic symptoms and dissemination. Five adult patients, aged 24 to 57 years, were diagnosed as having
cat-scratch disease, based on a positive history of cat scratches followed by typical symptoms including painful regional
lymphadenitis, malaise, and positive cat-scratch skin tests. Diagnostic evaluations revealed no other cause for the
lymphadenitis. Three patients had not received prior treatment with
antibiotics, and two patients had failed to improve on other
antibiotics. All five were treated with oral
ciprofloxacin, 500 mg by mouth, twice daily. All patients had dramatic improvement in symptoms within a few days and none has relapsed during follow-up. This is the first report of successful treatment of
cat-scratch disease with
ciprofloxacin, which appears to be an effective
therapy for
cat-scratch disease in adults.