Facultative Pasteurella ophthalmitis in Hooded Lister rats

Hooded Lister rats were found to exhibit symptoms of Mycoplasma pulmonis infection. During the course of this chronic respiratory disease they developed ophthalmia and conjunctivitis which proved to be an opportunist infection with Pasteurella multocida. The severity of disease varied in individual rats, newborn rats entirely escaping infection. All cases responded to treatment with appropriate topical antibiotic and no sequelae were observed.