%0 Journal Article %A Petersson, Evelina %A Athlin, Simon %T Cat-bite-induced Francisella tularensis infection with a false-positive serological reaction for Bartonella quintana %D 2017 %J JMM Case Reports, %V 4 %N 2 %@ 2053-3721 %C e005071 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/jmmcr.0.005071 %K serology %K tularaemia %K Bartonella quintana %K cross-reaction %K Francisella tularensis %I Microbiology Society, %X Introduction. Tularaemia is caused by infection with Francisella tularensistransmitted via direct contact with an infected hare carcass or indirectly through the bites of vectors, but may be cat-bite-associated as well. Medical history and reliable diagnostic analysis are important in order to differentiate it from other cat-associated infections, e.g. Bartonella spp. Case presentation. A healthy 56-year-old man was examined because of a cat-bite-associated ulceroglandular wound on his right thumb. Nineteen days after the cat bite occurred, a serology test was positive for anti-Bartonella quintana, but negative for anti-F. tularensis. Since Bartonella infections are rare in Sweden, another serology test was analysed 2 weeks later with a positive result for anti-F. tularensis. The patient was treated with doxycycline for 14 days and recovered. The patient was re-sampled after 18 months to obtain a convalescent sample. The acute and the convalescent samples were both analysed at a reference centre, with negative results for anti-Bartonella spp. this time. Conclusion. This case is enlightening about the importance of extending the medical history and re-sampling the patient for antibody detection when the clinical suspicion of cat-bite-associated tularaemia is high. The false-positive result for anti-B. quintana antibodies may have been due to technical issues with the assay, cross-reactivity or both. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmmcr/10.1099/jmmcr.0.005071