About 2000 hospital admissions are reported. In healthy individuals, it usually resolves spontaneously over 2-5 months. Within 3-10 days, a small skin lesion may appear. In 1-2 weeks, edema and tenderness manifest in regional lymph nodes that drain the area of exposure. While the majority of lesions regress over 2-6 months, they may last for as long as 2 years.
Cellulitis is rare.
In 1983, Dr Daniel Wear of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology demonstrated pleomorphic coccobacilli using the Warthin-Starry silver stain. In 1991, the bacterium was named Afipia felis. A high rate of seropositivity against R henselae among patients with CSD but a low rate of positivity against A felis existed, causing another modification of theories regarding causative agents. In 1993, a proposal for nomenclature change based on genetic similarity converted Rochalimaea to Bartonella. Accordingly, current theories postulate that CSD is caused by Bartonella henselae, with flea-borne transmission to kittens and a feline reservoir for the disease.