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An 87-year-old man was admitted to hospital because of fever, productive cough, dyspnea and altered consciousness. His medical history was significant for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He owned several pets. Physical examination and a chest radiograph revealed right upper lobe pneumonia. Blood cultures taken on admission yielded Pasteurella multocida and antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed susceptibility to beta-lactams. The fever subsided four days after treatment with intravenous ceftriaxone and the patient was discharged in a very good clinical condition after two weeks of treatment. Although no history of bites or scratches was documented, it is likely that our patient was exposed to the secretions of his many pets through inhalation of contaminated aerosols. This resulted in tracheobronchial tree colonization by P. multocida, which later developed into pneumonia. Close animal contact should be avoided by frail, elderly patients with chronic pulmonary diseases, as it is a risk factor for pneumonia due to Pasteurella spp.
Kofteridis et al. (2008) studied this question.