Isolation of group EF-4 bacteria in Australia

A bacterial strain isolated from dog-bite wound was identified as belonging to a group which is so far unnamed but which has been tentatively designated Group EF-4 by workers at the Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, USA. Although this appears to be the first reported isolation in Australia of a strain belonging to this group, it is possible that strains of Group EF-4 are not infrequently recovered from dog-bite wounds but, when they are, they may either not be identified or be dismissed as skin contaminants. Characteristics are presented for differentiating Group EF-4 from Pasteurella multocida, the bacterium typically associated with animal bite wounds in humans.