A retrospective six-year national survey of P. multocida infections in Israel

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases Vol. 41; no. 6-7; pp. 445 - 449
• Main Authors: Nseir, William, Giladi, M., Moroz, I., Moses, A. E., Benenson, S., Finkelstein, R., Dan, M., Chazan, B., Bishara, J., Ben-Dror, G., Hassin, D., Peled, N., Rahav, G., Grupper, M., Potasman, I., For the Israeli Group for the Study of Pasteurella Infections
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colchester Informa UK Ltd 2009; Taylor & Francis; Informa
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Bacteremia - drug therapy; Bacteremia - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Chi-Square Distribution; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Infant; Infectious diseases; Israel - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pasteurella Infections - diagnosis; Pasteurella Infections - drug therapy; Pasteurella Infections - epidemiology; Pasteurella multocida; Pasteurella multocida - isolation & purification; Retrospective Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Asia; Israel; Infection; Microbiology; Survey
• ISSN: 0036-5548; 1651-1980
• DOI: 10.1080/00365540902968035

Pasteurella multocida is the commonest organism infecting pet bites. Anecdotal reports tend to overemphasize dramatic outcomes. We aimed to study a large database of P. multocida infections. This retrospective survey of P. multocida infections in Israeli hospitals refers to the y 2000-2005. Clinical microbiologists were contacted by email and asked to perform a back-search of their hospital's records for isolates of P. multocida. The charts of patients growing P. multocida were abstracted into a structured questionnaire. 77 cases were identified in 12 hospitals, yielding an annual incidence of 0.19/100,000. The mean age was 49.2±26.5 y and the mortality rate was 2.6%. Those who died were >65 y of age, had diabetes mellitus or cirrhosis and were bacteraemic. One-third of the cases occurred in people aged ≥65 y. Cats caused most of these infections (54%). Surgery for debridement was common (53.7%), but no-one required amputation; a second- and third-look operation was necessary for these patients. Bacteraemia was found in 32.5% of patients and was significantly more common among those aged >60 y (p =0.044). Hospitalized patients with P. multocida have a favourable prognosis, apart from elderly and bacteraemic patients with comorbidities. Surgery and reoperations may be required in about half of the patients.