Axillary lymphadenitis in an adolescent patient

Cat-scratch disease is a human infection caused by Bartonella henselae, a small pleomorphic Gramnegative bacilli. Most patients have had contact with cats. Cat-scratch disease appears to be more common among children. Here, we describe a 15-yearold boy who presented with tender, axillary lymphadenopathy and was diagnosed with cat-scratch disease despite no contact with cats. Following intravenous ampicillin-sulbactam and amikacin, there was no improvement in symptoms. The Bartonella henselae IFA test was 1/1024. Azithromycin therapy was given for 10 days. During follow-up, an improvement in lymph node size was seen after treatment. We report this case to emphasize the importance of considering cat-scratch disease in the differential diagnosis of lymphadenopathy in children even if there has been no contact with cats.