Isolation of Pasteurella multocida from Human Clinical Specimens: First Report in Italy

As is well known, Pasteurella multocida clinical infections in humans most often follow direct inoculation of the bacteria via cat bites, cat scratches or dog bites. Other cases of infection related to animal exposure, but in the absence of bites or scratches, probably derive from contact with the animal's secretions. The authors recently isolated two strains of P. multocida : the first from the CSF of a 21-year-old man recovering from post-traumatic meningitis and the second from a rhino-pharyngeal swab from a 33-year-old man affected by pharyngo-tonsillitis. Both the patients lived in rural areas with animals.