A Case of Human Infection with B. pseudotuberculosis Rodentium

Abstract

The organism B. pseudotuberculosis rodentium (Pfeiffer) has received considerable attention in the past, undoubtedly because of its very close resemblance to Pasteurella pestis. Both of these organisms produce similar pathology in laboratory animals and resemble each other both culturally and antigenically. Meyer and Batchelder (1), in 1926, pointed to the danger of confusing lesions of pseudotuberculosis in wild rats with those of plague. Reimann and Rose (2) suggested the possible relationship pathologically between tularaemia and the tlhree cases of pseudotuberculosis rodentium infection in human beings recorded in the literature. Poppe (3) even suggested in 1927 that tularaemia might be a form of human pseudotuberculosis. Malassez and Vignal (4), in 1883, reported the first work with the organism. They inoculated guinea pigs with a nodule from the arm of a child dead with tuberculous meningitis and described a modified form of tuberculosis in the pigs. This is the first report of the disease in guinea pigs. As to whether it was produced by transfer of the human material or occurred spontaneously in the guinea pigs is open to question. A similar condition was described in guinea pigs by Dor (5), in 1888, Charrin and Roger (6), in 1888, Nocard (7), in 1889, and by Zagari (8), in 1890. Priesz (9), in 1894, compared the organism described by Pfeiffer (10), in 1890, and that of Mlalassez and Vignal (4) and decided they were identical. He suggested the name pseudotuberculosis rodentium, though he called it a streptobacillus. There are many reports in the European literature concerning pseudotuberculosis rodentium, but the isolation of the organism is rare in the United States. Meyer and Batchelder (1) reported cases in guinea pigs and also isolation of the organism from a wild rat. Bishop (11), in 1932, reported the study of an outbreak of pseudotuberculosis in guinea pigs. According to the literature, a great variety of animals are susceptible to pseudotuberculosis. It has been described in the horse (Schlaffke (12), 1921), cow (Mazzini, 1897), pig (Scennikov, 1928), goat (Baumann, 1927), rabbit (Roemisch, 1921), hare (Lerche, 1927), cat (Leblois, 1920), guinea pig (Ramon, 1914), wild rat (Meyer and Batchelder (1), 1926), hen (Christensen, 1927), and the monkey (Christianson, 1918). VWhen the literature concerning the disease in man is reviewed, it is seen at once that many of the reported cases must be doubted