Current status of Pasteurella multocida infection in Japan

Abstract

Recently, the case reports of Pasteurella multocida infection has been increasing in Japan. In 1989, the Japanese Government, Veterinary Sanitation Division, Ministry of Health and Welfare officially communicated this infection as a zoonosis to related institutions. The current status of Pasteurella multocida infection is not well known in Japan. Because of this, a nation wide questionnaire survey on Pasteurella multocida was conducted to clarify the status. A questionnaire was sent to 380 laboratories of the hospitals, and 258 (67.9%) replied. An infectious disease caused by Pasteurella multocida was found in Japan in 369 cases in 115 (44.6%) of 258 hospitals, or an average of 3.2 cases per hospital. The 369 cases were broken down into 123 males (from 1 month old to 87 years old), 118 females (from 7 months old to 88 years old), and 128 patients whose sex was unknown. The incidence of the infections tends to increase year by year. This incidence is higher than our expectation. It is considered that the contact with pets will in increase the infection with this agents. The organism was isolated in as many as nineteen different body specimens, including the appendix and urine, which in Japan has not been reported as organs harboring this organism. Some of the nineteen cases were severely infected. This organism was isolated most often from the sputum (48.5%). Pus was the next most common site (27.1%). This order was reversed in the U.K. and the U.S.. Possible explanations for the reversal are given below.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)