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What is pasteurellosis?
The disease, caused by a bacterium, is usually contracted from cats or dogs. However, a 29-year-old farmer from Suffolk was infected after picking up a rabbit on his farm.
Pasteurella multocida, the commonest of the pasteurella bacterium species to cause problems in human,is a bacteria found in most mammals, including:
It's usually harmless, but sometimes it can lead to a disease caused pasteurellosis, which is especially prominent in rabbits (where it known as rabbit flu).
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Causes and risk factors
P. multocida is present in the saliva, respiratory tract and faecal material of animals. The most common form of infection in humans is through a bite or scratch, usually from a cat or dog, from an animal carrying the bacteria.
Once the bacteria have been passed to a person, there is a possibility that they may go on to develop pasteurellosis. John Freeman is the first reported case of fatal pasteurellosis from a rabbit in Britain. He was thought to have contracted the infection from the rabbit through a blister on his thumb.
Is it common?
The Health Protection Agency said there are several hundred cases of infection with Pasteurella multocida every year. Deaths are very rare, according to the Office of National Statistics the last recorded death from pasteurellosis was in 2001.
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Symptoms
The first signs of pasteurellosis can occur a few hours after infection, and include pain, redness and swelling around the area of the infection which results in cellulites, or an abcess in the soft tissues or bone. If the infection spreads and gets into the bloodstream, it can cause flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, chills and swollen glands, and if left untreated can result in abcesses or infection anywhere in the body, particularly pneumonia, septicaemia or meningitis and on rare occasions can be fatal.
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Treatment and prevention
The Health Protection Agency say pasteurellosis is a highly preventable and treatable disease. Standard antibiotics can prevent further infection; the risk is only if the infection is untreated. If you have been scratched or bitten by an animal, you are advised to carefully wash the wound, using a disinfectant soap, and to seek medical advice.
Immuno-suppressed people are at greater risk of serious complications, as with any infection, so should seek medical advice immediately. Vets urge pet owners not to worry – the bacteria is extremely common and usually harmless, but they say bites or scratches should be treated with caution.
The disease, caused by a bacterium, is usually contracted from cats or dogs. However, a 29-year-old farmer from Suffolk was infected after picking up a rabbit on his farm.
Pasteurella multocida, the commonest of the pasteurella bacterium species to cause problems in human,is a bacteria found in most mammals, including:
- cats
- dogs
- rabbits
- some birds and fish
It's usually harmless, but sometimes it can lead to a disease caused pasteurellosis, which is especially prominent in rabbits (where it known as rabbit flu).
Top
Causes and risk factors
P. multocida is present in the saliva, respiratory tract and faecal material of animals. The most common form of infection in humans is through a bite or scratch, usually from a cat or dog, from an animal carrying the bacteria.
Once the bacteria have been passed to a person, there is a possibility that they may go on to develop pasteurellosis. John Freeman is the first reported case of fatal pasteurellosis from a rabbit in Britain. He was thought to have contracted the infection from the rabbit through a blister on his thumb.
Is it common?
The Health Protection Agency said there are several hundred cases of infection with Pasteurella multocida every year. Deaths are very rare, according to the Office of National Statistics the last recorded death from pasteurellosis was in 2001.
Top
Symptoms
The first signs of pasteurellosis can occur a few hours after infection, and include pain, redness and swelling around the area of the infection which results in cellulites, or an abcess in the soft tissues or bone. If the infection spreads and gets into the bloodstream, it can cause flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, chills and swollen glands, and if left untreated can result in abcesses or infection anywhere in the body, particularly pneumonia, septicaemia or meningitis and on rare occasions can be fatal.
Top
Treatment and prevention
The Health Protection Agency say pasteurellosis is a highly preventable and treatable disease. Standard antibiotics can prevent further infection; the risk is only if the infection is untreated. If you have been scratched or bitten by an animal, you are advised to carefully wash the wound, using a disinfectant soap, and to seek medical advice.
Immuno-suppressed people are at greater risk of serious complications, as with any infection, so should seek medical advice immediately. Vets urge pet owners not to worry – the bacteria is extremely common and usually harmless, but they say bites or scratches should be treated with caution.