Pasteurella multocida infection in a cirrhotic patient: case report, microbiological aspects and a review of literature

Pasteurellosis is a zoonosis often caused by cat or dog bites or scratches, or by direct exposure to their secretions. Pasteurella multocida is the main pathogen involved in infections through domestic animal bites; generally a local infection characterized by its particular virulence with consequent rapid onset. Serious infection has also been reported in persons affected by comorbidity without domestic animal bite injuries. Here we report the case of a woman with lower limb exudating vesicular skin ulcers affected by liver cirrhosis, bilateral knee arthritis, septicemia with positive blood culture and synovial fluid culture for Pasteurella multocida. The etiology of Pasteurella multocida must be borne in mind in cases of sepsis in immunodeficient individuals, such as the cirrhotic patient, as well as exposure to domestic animals.