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Pasteurella multocida is a common commensal of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts of animals, especially cats and dogs. It is transmitted to humans through contact with animals. Bite wound infection is the most common clinical manifestation. Systemic infections are unusual and mainly affect immunocompromised individuals. The article presents two cases of Pasteurella infection. Wound infection in a 75-year-old female following a bite from her pet cat was associated with bacteremia. The disease course was favorable with the initial clindamycin treatment despite in vitro resistance. The other patient was a 62-year-old female diagnosed with acute bacterial meningitis with multiple brain abscesses and transient expressive aphasia. She reported frequent contacts with pets and domestic animals without a recent bite. Hematogenous dissemination of the infection was suspected. Because of poor therapeutic response, cefotaxime was switched to chloramphenicol which was later switched to a combination of cefotaxime with ciprofloxacin due to anemia. Following 6 weeks of intravenous antibiotic therapy and another 10 weeks of oral ciprofloxacin therapy, magnetic resonance imaging showed normal results and the neurological defect resolved. Epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of Pasteurella infection are discussed and literature is reviewed.

Three experimental models were used to verify the effectiveness of immunostimulant preparations of microbial origin. Of the four microbial species, used in the tests with the stimulation of mice against subsequent infection with the virulent strain of Pasteurella multocida, the highest resistance-increasing power was recorded in Bordetella bronchiseptica. There were large differences in stimulation activity between its strains, ranging from those with a low activity up to strain 6229, which increased the LD50 of the infected mice to a level 72 times as high as in the control. The differences in the survival of the mice also varied within the range between immunostimulation and infection, the best effect being obtained when the mice were stimulated 48 h before the infection. No significant difference was recorded between the use of the bacterin of B. bronchiseptica alone or B. bronchiseptica bacterine with oil adjuvant. The immunostimulant activity of B. bronchiseptica was also demonstrated in the model of sublethally irradiated mice in which the preventive administration 24 h before irradiation led to earlier and faster regeneration of the lymphoid tissue: this led to a higher weight of the spleen, to an increase in the number of peripheral leucocytes, and increased activity of chemiluminiscence six days after irradiation. The bacterine of B. bronchiseptica was also used at different concentrations and in combinations with other substances to stimulate two-month-old clinically healthy calves. The most pronounced effect was obtained after the administration of B. bronciseptica bacterine with oil adjuvant and after administration of the same substances together with vitamin A: twenty-four hours after these treatments there was an increased number of peripheral leucocytes and after 2-4 days an increased activity was observed in the MSHP particle phagocytosis test and in the chemiluminiscence test. The activity of lymphocytes in the blastic transformation test was insignificantly increased seven days after stimulation.

In the years 1976-1982, 2071 dead hares from 64 districts of the Czech Socialist Republic were examined. The diseases under study killed 400 hares (19.3%). Pseudotuberculosis which killed 210 hares (10.14%) from 46 districts of the Czech Socialist Republic (71.9%) is considered as the most important hare population regulator. The highest occurrence of diseases was recorded in 1978. Pseudotuberculosis was of seasonal nature with the highest incidence in November and December. The second most widespread disease was pasteurellosis which killed 126 hares (6.08%) from 36 districts of the Czech Socialist Republic (56.3%). This disease dominated in 1976 and occurred seasonally, the highest incidence being recorded in autumn (November), winter (January) and spring (March). The infections induced by the bacteria Yersinia enterocolitica were not very widespread and killed 32 hares (1.45%) from 20 districts of the Czech Socialist Republic (31.3%). The highest number of cases was recorded in 1977. The monthly pattern of the development of the disease had three peaks - in November, January and April. Staphylococcosis killed 32 hares (1.54%) from 14 districts in the Czech Socialist Republic (21.9%). The highest number of cases was recorded in 1976. The disease occurred throughout the year with the highest incidence in November, April and February. This seasonal dynamics correlated positively with the worsened natural conditions for hare's life and with the reduction of the natural resistance of their organisms. A particular negative influence was exerted by bad climatic and food conditions, and by the monodietary type of nutrition in the autumn fasting period. The disease occurrence was also examined in relation to the animals' age; besides the infections with the Y. enterocolitica bacteria, the diseases prevailed in the adult individuals, which was partly due to the higher proportion of adult animals among the hares investigated.

The examination comprised 656 cases of brucellosis, 208 cases of pseudotuberculosis, 31 cases of yersiniosis, 13 cases of tularemia and 120 cases of pasteurellosis. In brucellosis, changes in liver, spleen and sexual organs prevailed. The macroscopy of the changes was typical. A histiocytic granuloma of tuberculoid type was found by histological examination. Owing to caryolysis, the central necrosis of granulomata contained a conspicuously small amount of nuclear detritus, and big cells of Langhans type were found in the histiocytic layer. A layer of round-cell elements constantly occurred on the periphery of the necrosis and peripheral fibrotization was observed in older granulomata. Pyogenic component was almost absent. Pseudotuberculosis and yersiniosis were characterized by septic tumour of the spleen and alterations in liver, lungs, kidneys, and the terminal section of ileum. In pseudotuberculosis necrotic changes occurred in bone marrow and in processus vermiformis. The changes were histologically limited by the formation of granulomata and necrosis with characteristic karyorrhexis and with tht occurrence of masses of bacteria in the necroses. Neutrophiles were constantly found to be present in the changes, whereas peripheral fibrotization was not typical. In tularemia, besides spleen tumour, alterations in lungs prevailed, having a vitreously smoky appearance, bacon-like on cross section. From the histological point of view, a histiocytic granuloma of tuberculoid type was involved. Its only differences from brucellosis were the larger content of nuclear detritus owing to karyorrhexis and the occurrence of erythrocytes in the lung alterations where marked peribronchial and perivascular infiltrates were present. The typical location of spleen alterations was the periphery of Malpighian corpuscles. Staphylococcosis was differentiated by a purulent nature of the changes and pasteurellosis by a constant finding of pneumonias and tracheitis.