Bacillary Angiomatosis - Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Home Remedies

What is Bacillary Angiomatosis ?

Bacillary Angiomatosis is a bacterial infection on the skin caused due to the fastidious, gram-negative bacilli Bartonella henselae and B. quintana, usually spread through the cat scratch or bite and lice. It is most commonly seen in HIV patients who are suffering from reduced immune system.

Bacillary Angiomatosis was discovered by Stoler in 1983. Due to this disease patients feel fever, chills, sweat, vomiting sensation, weight loss etc. Bacillary Angiomatosis leads to the diseases like obstruction of the lungs, hepatitis or osteomyelitis. It is a life-threatening, but it can be curable with proper medical seek.

Bacillary Angiomatosis is also known as cat scratch disease, cat scratch fever, regional lymphadenitis, and benign lymphoreticulosis.

Causes of Bacillary Angiomatosis

Main cause is the reduced immune system in HIV patients.
It is infected due to the bacilli Bartonella henselae and B. quintana.
Cat scratch and bite, and lice and rarely ticks and fleas can bring bacillary angiomatosis.
It is caused due to the eruption of cutaneous and subcutaneous nodules and also due to proliferation of blood vessels in the skin and internal organs.

What are the symptoms of Bacillary Angiomatosis ?

Some red or purple colored pus-filled spots appear on the skin due to proliferation of blood vessels, which may become ulcers in future.
Patients may feel fever, weight loss, vomiting sensation, anorexia, gastrointestinal symptoms, swollen lymph nodes, chills etc.
The spots can appear anywhere on the body but rarely can be seen on the palms and soles and in mouth.
Bacillary Angiomatosis can spread to the liver, bone, bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen by growing the blood vessels out of control.
It can cause severe inflammation of the brain in HIV infected people.

Bacillary Angiomatosis Treatment

Oral antibiotics such as erythromycin, azithromycin, rifampin, doxycycline etc are used to treat bacillary angiomatosis.
Draining may be used to pus-filled lymph nodes or spots.
Other possible treatments are hydration and analgesics such as acetaminophen (tylenol) to cure pain and fever.
Heating pad may also be helpful in treating the swollen lymph glands.

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