Acute infection of a total knee arthroplasty caused by Pasteurella multocida: a case report and a comprehensive review of the literature in the last 10 years

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) infection are most commonly due Staphylococcus aureus followed by coagulase-negative staphylococci, and streptococci, while gram-negative rods are seldom isolated.(1,3,4) In the last 20 years, cases of Pasteurella multocida TKA and total hip arthroplasty (THA) infection resulting from cat and dog bites, scratches, or licks have been published reporting varying presentations and treatment options. Most commonly, P. multocida infected arthroplasties result in local tenderness, cellulitis, and purulent discharge followed by regional adenopathy, and in immunocompromised patients it may progress to septicemia, meningitis, and septic arthritis.(5) Treatment antibiotics include penicilins or 2nd and 3rd generation cephalosporins, and surgical options involve one-stage, or two-stage revision arthroplasties.(6,9,17,19) We report a case of P. multocida TKA infection in a patient who was treated successfully with a 3rd generation cephalosporin, synovectomy and tibial interspacer exchange, along with a review of the literature published in the last 10 years. Our findings show that there is usually a history of exposure to the animal, early appearance of cat bite related infections, and multifactorial decision making for the treatment of P. multocida joint infections. (C) 2010 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.