DETECTION AND PARTIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF PASTEURELLA-MULTOCIDA FOUNDIN FELINE SKIN-LESIONS

Pasteurella multocida was isolated from 21 of 105 purulent skin lesion s in household cats. The bacterium was in pure culture in nine specime ns and predominant in six specimens. Its viable counts were 10(2) to 1 0(7) colony forming units/ml. Of 21 isolates of P. multocida, seventee n were considered to be capsular type A. The predominant capsular and somatic type was the serotype A:3,4. Inoculation of the filter-sterili zed supernatants of the isolates induced an erythematous response in g uinea pig skins. These findings suggest that P. multocida is a candida te as a pathogen of feline skin lesions and the erythema-inducing acti vity of the bacterium may participate in the formation of skin lesions in household cats.