Scalp eschar and neck lymphadenopathy after tick bite (SENLAT) caused by Bartonella henselae in Korea: a case report

• Published in: BMC infectious diseases Vol. 20; no. 1; p. 216
• Main Authors: Seo, Jun-Won, Kim, Choon-Mee, Yun, Na Ra, Kim, Dong-Min, Kim, Sung Soon, Choi, Sangho, Chu, Hyuk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 12-03-2020; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Arachnids; Bartonella henselae; Bites (Injuries); Blood; Case Report; Case reports; Case studies; Causes of; Communicable diseases; Diagnosis; Diarrhea; Disease; Diseases; Fever; Fungal diseases; Hunting; Infections; Infectious diseases; Lymph nodes; Lymphadenopathy; Lymphatic diseases; Lymphatic system; Neck; Patients; Polymerase chain reaction; Scalp; Spotted fever group Rickettsiosis; Suffering; Tick-borne diseases; South Korea; Europe; Bartonella henselae; Spotted fever group Rickettsiosis; Lymph nodes; Tick-borne diseases
• ISSN: 1471-2334; 1471-2334
• DOI: 10.1186/s12879-020-4940-0

Tick-borne lymphadenopathy (TIBOLA) is an infectious disease, mainly caused by species from the spotted fever group rickettsiae and is characterized by enlarged lymph nodes following a tick bite. Among cases of TIBOLA, a case of scalp eschar and neck lymphadenopathy after tick bite (SENLAT) is diagnosed when an eschar is present on the scalp, accompanied by peripheral lymphadenopathy (LAP). Only a few cases of SENLAT caused by Bartonella henselae have been reported.
A 58-year-old male sought medical advice while suffering from high fever and diarrhea. Three weeks before the visit, he had been hunting a water deer, and upon bringing the deer home discovered a tick on his scalp area. Symptoms occurred one week after hunting, and a lump was palpated on the right neck area 6 days after the onset of symptoms. Physical examination upon presentation confirmed an eschar-like lesion on the right scalp area, and cervical palpation revealed that the lymph nodes on the right side were non-painful and enlarged at 2.5 × 1.5 cm. Fine needle aspiration of the enlarged lymph nodes was performed, and results of nested PCR for the Bartonella internal transcribed spacer (ITS) confirmed B. henselae as the causative agent.
With an isolated case of SENLAT and a confirmation of B. henselae in Korea, it is pertinent to raise awareness to physicians in other Asian countries that B. henselae could be a causative agent for SENLAT.