Pasteurella multocida carriage in red-necked wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus)

The isolation of Pasteurella multocida from several red-necked wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus) with purulent to necrotizing gingivitis, mandibular osteomyelitis, and conjunctivitis in a private zoological park prompted a cross-sectional prevalence study in two zoological collections. The study demonstrated a high prevalence of P. multocida carriage in clinically healthy red-necked wallabies. In one collection (n= 7), P. multocida was isolated from the gingival mucosa of two animals (28.6%) and the conjunctiva of one animal (14.3%). In another collection (n = 29), P. multocida was isolated from the buccal mucosa in two animals (6.9%) and the pharyngeal mucosa of eight animals (27.6%). Multilocus sequence typing showed that sequence types varied among, but were identical within, collections.