“Cat scratch fever” is a real illness, caused by cat scratches. One reported symptom of the disease is erectile dysfunction (ED). It’s important to remember that ED is usually caused by circulatory issues, and can be treated with appropriate lifestyle changes and medications.
Everyone knows the most common reason for erection problems is a vascular constriction: when the circulation simply isn’t sufficient, strong erections just won’t be possible. But this is not the only cause of erection problems.
Though erectile dysfunction is no longer written off as a psychological problem, psychological issues can affect erection health. And sometimes the cause of erection problems seems to come out of left field. Bartonella, a bacteria harbored by some cats, can cause cat scratch disease, one of the symptoms of which is erectile dysfunction.
Though rare, it can happen, and when it does, antibiotics help. How can cat owners protect themselves and their pets from Bartonella infection?
Cats Aren’t Really Evil, But
Admit it. You’re one of those people that laugh at those videos of cats acting like jerks. It’s hard not to crack up when a cat knocks a glass on the floor or does something else that is completely – cat-like.
Cats are wonderful pets with great personalities and they make us laugh. But it turns out they can also transmit a few diseases to their owners. One such infection is cat scratch disease (CSD), which is a bacteria generated by the Bartonella henselae.
For men, the possibility of picking up Bartonella infection for their cat may be remote, but it’s certainly something to learn more about – just in case.
Men’s Health ran a story in September last year of the case of a Belgium man that went to the ER with what he thought was the flu. His symptoms were fever, sweating, and back pain. He was losing weight and was struggling with erectile dysfunction. The doctors found swollen lymph nodes and his blood work was abnormal. Even more alarming, his spleen was enlarged, along with his lymph nodes. The doctors at first thought the patient was presenting with late-stage cancer. They did a bone marrow test and that came back normal. When the blood work came back normal for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, they decided to test the bone marrow for unusual bacteria called Bartonella henselae. The bacteria are carried by cats and can be transmitted from a scratch. The tests showed that is exactly what the man had.
Fortunately, the treatment for this “invasive cat scratch disease” was pretty simple; a three-week course of tetracycline and the man was as good as new
According to Medicinenet, some of the other treatments include:
- Azithromycin (Zithromas)
- Clarithoromycin (Biaxin)
- Rifampin (Rifadin)
- Sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim)
- Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
Interestingly, Internet research fails to yield other cases of erection dysfunction tied to Bartonella. However, the virus can make you pretty sick so that the last thing on your mind would be having sex.
So what is the Bartonella bug, how does it spread, and how prevalent is it really?
Is Cat Scratch Fever a Real Thing?
The Internet was buzzing last fall about the common American housecat as being the cause of erection problems in men. You might be shocked to learn that there are a handful of recorded instances where erection problems in men really did stem from a cat scratch. But that doesn’t mean if your kitty scratches and arm you’re going to have a problem. Bartonella is so rare most of us thought the Ted Nugent song from the 80s was actually a joke. The truth is that most cats don’t even carry the bacteria, not everyone who is scratched gets sick, and if they do get sick it could be very mild and not cause erection problems at all.
Cats can transmit the disease by licking your open cut or wound. Up to two weeks later, the site could become red and swollen with infection. There could be a raised lesion at the wound site, and if you have flu-like symptoms, it might be time to worry.
With that said, the Center for Disease Control has an entire page devoted to the Bartonella bacteria. Approximately 1/3 of all cats carry the virus. The virus can transmit from fleas to cats and then to people in a single scratch. When cats scratch at a flea, they may get flea dirt infected with the virus between their toes.
When they scratch a person, the disease can be transmitted. Men, women, and children can all get this disorder, although it isn’t very common.
Bartonella has been diagnosed for the past decade. Doctors were able to pinpoint the bacteria in both the flea and their cat carrier.
Sometimes a cat will pick up the bacteria from another cat during a fight. Some cats actually become ill from the bug, but most simply act as carriers of the bug. Treatment for the cat isn’t necessary unless the cat falls ill with vomiting, lethargy, fever, reddened eyes or a decreased appetite, which are some of the symptoms of the disease. In fact, these can be some of the same symptoms that people have – or they may only have a few of these symptoms.
For people, the symptoms of Bartonella henselae usually flare up one to three weeks after the person has been scratched. They include:
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- A pustule or scab at the scratch location
- A sore throat
- Weight loss
- Low-grade fever
- Muscle pain sometimes occurs
- Reddened eyes
- Dizziness and headache
- Fatigue
MedScape suggests doctors run lab tests to look for a very high rise in antibody levels, which is the body’s way of fighting off sickness. In very rare cases, Bartonella henselae can cause some very severe symptoms, including erection problems in men. Some of the serious complications seen in a handful of people each year include:
- Granulomatous hepatitis, which is a liver disease.
- Parinaud oculoglandular syndrome, an infection resembling a case of pink eye. In fact, the eyes are commonly affected in Bartonella infections; ironically, in cats as woo as humans.
- Encephalopathy, a disease that infects your brain.
Cat scratch disease can affect the heart, liver, brain, and other internal organs. People with suppressed immune disorders are at higher risk of developing significant complications of Bartoncella. Smaller children are also potentially at risk.
It’s important to stress that is highly unlikely that a scratch will produce symptoms of Bartonella. People shouldn’t consider giving their cat away because Bartonella is very rare. The CDC says if your immune system is depressed there are some tips for keeping your cat, and you, safer:
- Keep the cat indoors to avoid the risk of infection.
- Don’t roughhouse with your cat in order to help avoid scratches.
- If you are scratched, wash the area with soap and water.
- Treat your cat with veterinarian-approved flea treatment.
- Take your cat to the vet regularly for check-ups.
- Control fleas in your home by vacuuming frequently or calling a pest control company.
So, just how prevalent are diagnoses of cat scratch disease? One study suggested about 12,000 people per year are treated for the disorder in the U.S. as an outpatient.
Another 500 patients annually are actually hospitalized for the disease.
So, Does Bartonella Really Cause Erection Problems in Men?
Beyond the one case reported in a medical journal, there appear to be no other connections between erection problems in men and cat scratch disease. The Mayo Clinic reports some of the more common causes of erection problems in men include:
- Atherosclerosis, which are clogged blood vessels
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes or other diseases of the endocrine system
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Being overweight or obese
- Parkinson’s disease or other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s or a stroke
- Multiple sclerosis
- Metabolic syndrome, which includes high blood pressure, insulin, and cholesterol and increased body fat around the waistline.
- Smoking
- Alcoholism or substance abuse
- Sleep apnea
- Enlarged prostate
- Spinal cord injuries
- Depression
- Stress
- Psychological conditions
The truth is that all of these conditions are more often risk factors for causing erection problems in men that cat scratch disease.
Talk to your doctor. It turns out many medications can cause erection problems in men. Healthline points out just a few of the medications that are known to affect a man’s sexual health:
- Synthetic hormones like Eligard
- Alpha-adrenergic blockers like Flomax
- Serotonin inhibitors like Paxil or Prozac
- Beta-blockers like Lopressor
- Cancer and chemotherapy medications such as Tagamet
- Diuretics like Lasix
- Stimulants for the central nervous stimulants such as amphetamines
- Depressants for the central nervous system like Valium, codeine, or Xanax
But all of these conditions can be prevented and treated both with medication as well as working to prevent the problem by:
- Increasing exercise
- Eating right
- Seeing your doctor for regular health checks
- Reducing stress
- Getting assistance for depression or other mental or emotional problems
Men’s sexual health is complicated and the body itself is an amazingly complex organism made up of hundreds of functioning systems. When one part of your body isn’t working properly, it can cause erection problems in men. Even anxiety can affect our performance in the bedroom.
So, while the Bartonella henselae bacteria is real and found in the domesticated cat population, the truth is, despite what you may have heard on the Internet if you’re having an erection problem it is more likely caused by a medical issue that has nothing to do with your house pet.
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