A 10-year-old child with unilateral follicular conjunctivitis and adenopathy likely has oculoglandular syndrome due to which common etiology?

The scenario describes a child exhibiting unilateral follicular conjunctivitis accompanied by adenopathy, which suggests a specific infectious etiology often associated with oculoglandular syndrome. Cat-scratch disease, caused by Bartonella henselae and commonly associated with exposure to cats, is a well-recognized cause of this syndrome, particularly in children.

The presence of conjunctivitis along with lymphadenopathy is characteristic of this condition. It reflects the regional lymphadenopathy typically observed following the initial exposure or scratch from an infected cat, leading to the immune response that manifests through ocular symptoms.

Toxoplasmosis and coccidioidomycosis can also cause ocular manifestations, but they usually present with different clinical features and are less commonly associated with conjunctivitis and lymphadenopathy in the same manner as cat-scratch disease. Diabetes is not an infectious etiology related to oculoglandular syndrome. Therefore, citing cat-scratch disease as the correct answer fits the clinical picture presented in the case.