Antibiotic therapy for cat-scratch disease?

Cat-scratch disease is usually a benign, self-limited disease that causes regional lymphadenopathy. Occasionally, it may present with systemic symptoms and have a prolonged course. To date, antibiotic therapy has not been proved to be of value. We describe three patients with cat-scratch disease who were treated successfully with gentamicin sulfate. Two patients had extensive hepatic involvement, and one patient had regional lymphadenopathy. All three patients responded within 48 hours to intravenous gentamicin. Extensive follow-up has shown no recurrence of symptoms. These cases suggest that gentamicin may be efficacious in shortening the course of cat-scratch disease. Prospective, randomized trials should be performed to confirm these results.