Central scotoma without prodromal illness caused by Bartonella henselae neuroretinitis

Abstract

This case report describes Bartonella henselae neuroretinitis in a 26-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department with unilateral central scotoma and no prodromal symptoms, a unique presentation of this disease. B henselae, a gram-negative bacteria, is the cause of cat scratch disease. Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a self-limiting illness, which typically presents with regional lymphadenopathy, fever, and small skin lesions in associationwith a cat scratch or bite. The mostcommon ocular manifestations of cat scratch disease are Parinaud oculoglandular syndrome and neuroretinitis. All prior reported cases of CSD neuroretinitis presented with prodromal symptoms, not vision loss alone.