Pasteurella Multocida Pneumonia: A Case of Mistaken Identity in a Previously Well 47-Year-Old Woman

Abstract

Pasteurella infections in humans are usually zoonotic in origin, with a variety of presentations including cellulitis, septic arthritis and respiratory illness in elderly patients, the immunocompromised or those with existing chronic lung disease. We present a case of Pasteurella multocida pneumonia in a middle-aged woman with no previous lung disease and highlight a potential difficulty in the laboratory identification of Pasteurella species.

“Cat got your lung?”: Case of a trapped lung following cat bite

“…Pneumonia is the most common clinical presentation of patients presenting with respiratory tract involvement [5]. Patients who are immunocompromised, elderly or who have chronic lung disease are at highest risk of Pasteurella pneumonia, also known as ‘cat cuddlers cough’ [6]. In a retrospective study involving more than 600 patients, 73% of Pasteurella infections were present in patients over the age 50 and 21% were in patient 21–50 years of age [9].…”