**Core Concept:** Rickettsial pox is a group of diseases caused by rickettsial infections, specifically by the bacterium, **Bartonella henselae**. The bacterium is an obligate intracellular parasite, which means it resides within host cells and depends on the host for its survival.
**Why the Correct Answer is Right:** Bartonella henselae is the causative agent of cat-scratch disease, a zoonotic infection transmitted to humans through the bite or scratch of an infected cat. The bacterium is known to invade and replicate within endothelial cells and macrophages, leading to the characteristic clinical presentation of the disease.
**Why Each Wrong Option is Incorrect:**
A. **Bartonella quintana:** This bacterium is responsible for trench fever and is transmitted through body lice, not cat scratch disease.
B. **Rickettsia prowazekii:** This bacterium causes epidemic typhus and is transmitted through body lice, not cat scratch disease.
C. **Ehrlichia chaffeensis:** This bacterium causes human monocytic ehrlichiosis and is transmitted through tick bites, not cat scratch disease.
D. **Bartonella henselae:** This bacterium is the correct answer and causes cat-scratch disease, as explained earlier.
**Clinical Pearl:** Bartonella henselae is an example of an obligate intracellular bacterium that can cause various infections in humans. Cat-scratch disease is just one of the many ways it can be transmitted to humans, but it is essential to identify the correct causative agent to differentiate it from other diseases and provide appropriate treatment.
Free Medical MCQs Β· NEET PG Β· USMLE Β· AIIMS
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