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Pasteurella multocida: a nightmare for a replaced joint and the challenge to save it
Abstract:
Pasteurella multocida a small gram-negative coccobacilli is primarily found as normal flora of cats and dogs. These organisms can cause a variety of infections in humans, usually the result of scratches, bites and licks by percutaneous inoculation of the organism. Most cases of septic arthritis involve a cat or dog bite distal to the involved joint without direct penetrating injury to the joint. On scenarios were Pasteurella infection is suspected within a prosthetic joint, aggressive surgical debridement and/or removal of the prosthesis with intravenous antibiotics is recommended. Prosthetic joint infections secondary to animal bites are an extremely rare complication and few cases have been reported in the literature. This is a case report of a patient that suffered a cat's bite of his right prosthetic knee and against all odd was able to save it without surgical intervention.
Insights
A cat bite led to a rare Pasteurella multocida infection in a patient's prosthetic knee. This case highlights a successful non-surgical approach to treating prosthetic joint infections from animal bites.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Microbiology
Background:
- Pasteurella multocida, a common bacteria in cats and dogs, can cause human infections via bites or scratches.
- Prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) typically require aggressive surgical intervention, especially when caused by bacteria like Pasteurella.
- Animal bite-associated PJIs are exceptionally rare, with limited documented cases.
Observation:
- A patient presented with a Pasteurella multocida infection in their prosthetic knee following a cat bite.
- The infection occurred despite the bite not involving direct penetrating trauma to the prosthetic joint.
Findings:
- The patient's prosthetic knee was successfully treated without surgical debridement or prosthesis removal.
- Intravenous antibiotics were administered, leading to a favorable outcome in this rare PJI case.
Implications:
- This case suggests that non-surgical management may be a viable option for select cases of animal bite-induced PJIs.
- Further research is warranted to establish evidence-based guidelines for managing such rare prosthetic joint infections.
