Pasteurella multocida infection in solid organ transplantation

SummaryWe present a case of fulminant Pasteurella multocida sepsis in a 66-year-old man who had undergone a renal transplant. Our patient lived with two dogs and a cat with which he was very close. We propose that his bacteraemia might have resulted from direct inoculation of P multocida via his cat licking the venous stasis ulcers on his legs. The patient's clinical course was complicated by cardiopulmonary failure and he ultimately succumbed to his infection. P multocida is a rare cause of infections in immunocompromised hosts, epidemiologically linked to exposure to cats, dogs, and other animals. This case of P multocida shows the importance of considering this organism in immunocompromised hosts presenting with severe infections, especially if their history shows exposure to domesticated or wild animals known to be potential carriers of this disease. In this Grand Round, we review the clinical features, epidemiology, treatment, and prognosis of P multocida infections with a focus on these features in patients who are immunosuppressed.