This family’s repeated strep throat infections frustrated their doctors
They had taken multiple rounds of drugs, professionally deep cleaned their home and replaced contaminated toothbrushes, but none of it worked for long. Inevitably, the infection came roaring back. (See link for article)
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**Comment**
A very intriguing case. Important excerpts:
Levitis called his mother, a retired pediatrician who had practiced in suburban Maryland, for advice. She told him about a family she had seen who kept getting strep until they got rid of their pet cat.
While a report from the American Veterinary Medical Association states that doctors sometimes blame pets for recurrent strep throat infections, “evidence doesn’t support this.”
To the surprise of the vet school faculty, group A strep was found in the cat’s throat; it appeared to match the strain of strep collected during Levitis’s most recent throat culture.
This case shows that clinical doctors often know things medical associations don’t!
The family went on vacation, (all treated with antibiotics) and their house was professionally cleaned for the second time, while the asymptomatic cat was also given antibiotics and disinfectant spray for his fur, which finally put a stop to the endless strep infections.
Due to the denial of most of the doctors and their corresponding unwillingness to swab the cat’s throat, this case almost went unsolved. Food for thought, and another reminder to be willing to fight for answers.
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/05/cat-scratch-disease-in-a-1-5-year-old-girl-case-report/ Healthy 1.5-year-old girl who was seen in hospital for the sparing use of her left arm when crawling. Tested positively for Bartonella henselae.
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/03/encephalopathy-in-adult-with-cat-scratch-disease/ Case of a 53-year-old healthy man, presenting with confusion. Serology confirmed Bartonella henselae infection.
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/09/transverse-myelitis-guillain-barre-associated-with-bartonella/ Healthy 10 year old girl had coexisting transverse myelitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) related to infection with Bartonella henselae.
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/05/skull-infection-due-to-bartonella/ While cats are implicated, this 3 year old had no significant medical history, presented at emergency department for a 2-week history of worsening scalp lump with redness.
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/04/bartonella-erythema-nodosum-atypical-presentations/ All immunocompetent hosts.
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/08/30/new-case-report-neuropsychiatric-symptoms-and-bartonella-associated-skin-lesions/
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/03/bartonella-treatment/
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/07/fox-news-bartonella-is-the-new-lyme-disease/
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/27/advanced-imaging-found-bartonella-around-pic-line/
- https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/10/06/possibility-of-brown-dog-ticks-transmitting-bartonella-to-humans/