Detection and partial characterization of Pasteurella multocida found in feline skin lesions.

Pasteurella multocida was isolated from 21 of 105 purulent skin lesions in household cats. The bacterium was in pure culture in nine specimens and predominant in six specimens. Its viable counts were 10(2) to 10(7) colony forming units/ml. Of 21 isolates of P. multocida, seventeen were considered to be capsular type A. The predominant capsular and somatic type was the serotype A:3,4. Inoculation of the filter-sterilized supernatants of the isolates induced an erythematous response in guinea pig skins. These findings suggest that P. multocida is a candidate as a pathogen of feline skin lesions and the erythema-inducing activity of the bacterium may participate in the formation of skin lesions in household cats.