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A teenager was allowed to believe he was a "devilish son of the devil" after catching an insect altering a cat's mind.
The 14-year-old had hallucinations, violent attacks and thought about killing his family after being scraped by his pet.
He was initially diagnosed with rapid schizophrenia and his mother had to leave her job to look after a healthy boy.
However, other tests have recognized him as the rare bartonella henselae bug that he had caught in his cat.
The case was revealed after researchers documented it in the Journal of Central Nervous Disease.
Dr. Ed Breitschwedt, lead author of the case report, said, "This case is interesting for a number of reasons.
"In addition to suggesting that the infection itself might contribute to … schizophrenia, this raises the question of how often the infection may be badociated with psychiatric disorders in general."
The unidentified teenager was hospitalized four times in 18 months, with severe psychiatric symptoms.
He also suffered from painful headaches, chest pains, shortness of breath and a constant urge to urinate.
He had to miss school for two years because his illusions made him refuse to leave the house.
During his last visit to the North Carolina hospital, a doctor noticed that the boy had a series of lesions on the skin around the armpits and thighs.
He was recognized as a sign of bartonella henselae and tests confirmed that he had caught the infection.
Bartonella is a bacterium usually badociated with cat scratch disease and until recently, it was thought that it was short-lived.
There are about thirty species of Bartonella and the virus is "notorious" because it hides in the wall of the blood vessels.
The boy in the case was treated with antimicrobial chemotherapy and has since completely recovered.
Medical advice for treating a cat bite include cleaning the wound with lukewarm water and encouraging it to bleed slightly.
Any dirt or foreign matter must be removed. For serious injury, consult a doctor.
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