Bartonella henselae, previously called
Rochalimaea henselae, is the causative agent of cat scratch disease (CSD) in immunocompetent subjects and bacillary angiomatosis in immunocompromised
ones. Bone lesions are common in bacillary angiomatosis, but not in CSD. We present the case of a patient with a renal transplant
treated by immunosuppressive therapy who developed a sternal abscess with a histological pattern of CSD. The CT pattern was
that of a lytic bone lesion with adjacent fluid collection. The diagnosis was made on the basis of a polymerase chain reaction
amplification performed on bone material.
Bartonella henselae is a newly described bacteria that causes CSD in a normal host and bacillary angiomatosis in immunocompromised patients. We
report a case of an osteolytic lesion of the sternum with adjacent fluid collection related to CSD, which occurred in a patient
with a renal transplant.
Key words Bone diseases - Bone infections - Cat scratch disease - Angiomatosis bacillary - Immunodeficiency