EXPOSURE TO DOMESTIC CATS - RISK FACTOR FOR PASTEURELLA-MULTOCIDA PERITONITIS IN LIVER-CIRRHOSIS

Pasteurella multocida is most commonly associated with acute skin and soft tissue infections following an animal bite or scratch, Peritoniti s caused by P. multocida in patients with cirrhosis is rarely reported , We present a case of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis with P, multo cida in a patient with cirrhosis, squamous cell cancer of the head and neck, and nontraumatic domestic cat exposure, Nasopharyngeal coloniza tion with P. multocida, with subsequent transient bacteremia and seedi ng of the peritoneum in immunocompromised (particularly cirrhotic) cat -owners, could play an important pathogenetic role in the development of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. A review of the literature showe d that in nine of 13 patients with cirrhosis and P, multocida peritoni tis, exposure to domestic animals was reported, The mortality rate is high in this setting, even with prompt antibiotic treatment, Preventiv e strategies for immunocompromised patients should include minimizatio n of animal contact, especially cats, which have a high carriage rate (70-90%) of P. multocida.