[A case of Pasteurella multocida subsp. multocida septicemia due to cat bites in liver cirrhosis patient]

A 60-year-old male who had been suffering from liver cirrhosis was admitted to our hospital with high grade fever accompanied by right chest pain. Chest X-rays revealed a moderate amount of pleural fluid suggesting pleuritis. Multocida was isolated from the blood culture as well as the pleural fluid. Antibiotic therapy was initiated according to the drug susceptibility of the isolates. Ten days treatment was effective on the cessation of both septicemia and the clinical symptoms. Since the patient had been bitten several times by his own pet cats, their mouth swabs were taken for pathogenic investigations. Serotypes of the cats' isolates coincided with that of the patient's which consequently indicated the route of infection. P. multocida is a Gram negative coccobacillary organism that resides as normal flora in the oral cavity of animals, including dogs and cats. It has been originally known to be a causative agent for hemorrhagic septicemia in domestic animals. However, recently reports of P. multocida infections in man has been increasing due to the enlargement of pet populations. Although outbreaks of septicemia is rare, it occurs most often in immunologically compromised hosts, including patients with liver cirrhosis as in this case. Therefore, it is important to initiate an urgent antibiotic therapy in such cases. Overall, it is of utmost importance to instruct immunosuppressed patients to avoid excessive exposure to animals including pets.