Pasteurella multocida Infections and Bacteremia

Most reports of human Pasteurella multocida infections consist of case reports or short series. Although 1 large series was published from France, none of comparable size has been reported from North America. We, therefore, reviewed all our cases of infections due to P. multocida identified between 1987 and 2007. During that period, the microbiology laboratory at the Detroit Medical Center detected 179 patients with P. multocida infections, including 14 with bacteremia (7.8%). Although 55 (30.7%) patients were children, all bacteremic patients were adults with chronic medical conditions; 9 were 64 years or older. None had cirrhosis. In our experience, bacteremia caused by P. multocida is unusual, and the great majority of patients recover without complication.