1) Pasteurella multocida was discovered by Louis Pasteur? T/F

True, in 1880, Pasteur discovered the bacterium as the cause of chicken cholera.

 

2) Pasteurella multocida can be a pathogen in unpasteurised milk? T/F

False. Despite the name association, this is not a recognised epidemiological feature of Pasteurella infections.

 

3) Pasteurella multocida is a human pathogen only? T/F

False. Can both colonise and cause infections in a range of mammals and birds.

 

4) Pasteurella multocida is oxidase and catalase positive, and does not grow on MacConkey agar? T/F

True. Bacteria fitting the aforementioned criteria should be regarded as Pasteurella multocida until proven otherwise.

 

5) Pasteurella multocida tend to be pleomorphic in nature on the Gram Stain.

True. Gram stain is of a Gram negative pleomorphic cocco-bacillus. It is non-motile.

 

6) Pasteurella multocida contains a polysaccheride capsule? T/F

True. This acts as a virulence factor for the bacterium.

 

7) Pasteurella multocida can colonise the lower respiratory tract in humans? T/F

True. Generally in patients with underlying architectural lung disease, it can both colonise and cause infection in the respiratory tract.

 

8) Pasteurella multocida responds well to clindamycin? T/F

False. Clindamycin has little or no clinical activity against Pasteurella. Clinicians often use amoxycillin. Some clinicians use Amoxycillin/Clavulanic acid to give cover against anaerobes which are often there with Pasteurella multocida causing a poly-microbial infection.

 

9) Dogs are implicated more commonly than cats in human Pasteurella infections? T/F

False. Although dog bites are more common than cat bites, cats are involved with the majority of clinical infections caused by Pasteurella. Cat bites are also responsible for a higher proportion of complex Pasteurella infections such as tenosynovitis, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis etc. Infection can also be caused by cat and dog licks.

 

10) Pasteurella multocida is a recognised cause of meningitis in humans? T/F

True. However it is a relatively rare cause of meningitis and usually occurs at the extremes of age.