Typing of Pasteurella multocida from haemorrhagic septicaemia in Danish fallow deer (Dama dama)

Isolates of Pasteurella multocida ssp. multocida (n=31) from a Danish popul ation of fallow deer which succumbed to haemorrhagic septicaemia during 199 2-1993 and isolates from the palatine tonsils of apparently healthy fallow deer from the same area (n=6) were typed and compared with P. multocida fro m other sources. Plasmids were not observed in the fallow deer strains and one unique pattern was observed by ribotyping using HindIII and by pulsed-f ield gel eletrophoresis using SalI as restriction endonuclease. All Danish fallow deer isolates belonged to serotype B:3,4. On restriction endonucleas e analysis using HhaI as restriction endonuclease, all had a profile identi cal to that of a fallow deer isolate from the United Kingdom: profile 0033 of Wilson et al. On restriction endonuclease analysis using HpaII as restri ction endonuclease, the Danish fallow deer isolates had a unique profile, d esignated 0062, which differed slightly from that of a fallow deer isolate from the United Kingdom. P. multocida from other animal species were genoty pically different from the fallow deer isolates. It is concluded that a spe cific clone of P. multocida was responsible for the outbreak of haemorrhagi c septicaemia among Danish fallow deer. A carrier rate of 27% was demonstra ted among apparently normal animals from the same population.