Pasteurella canis osteomyelitis and cutaneous abscess after a domestic dog bite

The genus Pasteurella is part of the normal oral flora of many animals, including domestic cats and dogs. In humans, Pasteurella may cause complications ranging from cellulitis to septicemia but rarely causes osteomyelitis or septic arthritis after bites and/or scratches by cats and dogs. Although Pasteurella multocida is a common cause of infection, other Pasteurella species have also been cultured from wounds in humans. We describe here, a case of a cutaneous abscess and acute osteomyelitis associated with P canis after a domestic dog bite. To our knowledge, no previous case of P canis has been reported as the cause of acute osteomyelitis in humans.