Polymicrobial Periprosthetic Infection with Pasteurella canis Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Case Report.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Infectious Diseases, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Târgu Mureș, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, 540139 Targu Mures, Romania.
- 21st Infectious Diseases Clinic, Mures County Clinical Hospital, 89 Gheorghe Doja Street, 540233 Targu Mures, Romania.
- 3Mureș County Clinical Hospital, 540233 Targu Mures, Romania.
- 4Department of Microbiology, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Târgu Mureș, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu, 540139 Targu Mures, Romania.
Abstract
Background and clinical significance:Pasteurella spp. are Gram-negative coccobacilli, aerobic facultatively anaerobic, belonging to the Pasteurellaceae family. In humans, they are known to cause zoonotic diseases, which usually develop after dog or cat bites, licks or scratches. Case presentation: We present the case of a 61-year-old patient, with cardiovascular comorbidities, who presented to the Orthopedics Department, 38 days after knee replacement surgery, with recurrence of pain on walking, an antalgic gait with auxiliary support, and local signs of inflammation at the level of the left knee joint. The patient admitted to owning a dog who accidentally licked the post-surgical wound. The symptoms were suggestive of a post-surgical wound infection with extension to the periprosthetic area. A purulent discharge was collected from the wound during surgical debridement and sent to the microbiological laboratory for diagnosis, where Pasteurella canis was identified using MALDI-TOF MS. Antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) was performed according to the EUCAST guidelines and empiric antibiotic treatment was started with Cefuroxime. During his future admissions to the Orthopedics and Infectious Diseases departments, two more samples were collected, in which Pasteurella canis was isolated, along with Klebsiella oxytoca (second sample), and Klebsiella oxytoca and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (third sample). Patient evolution was favorable due to the debridement of the wound and combined antibiotic treatment, with Ceftazidime and Gentamicin. Conclusions: Infections with Pasteurella canis are rare but slowly increasing due to more and more humans owning pets. The present case underlines the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations when rare pathogens are identified.
Related
- Extensor Mechanism Reconstruction Following Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review
- Antibiotic-Loaded Hydrogel, Calcium Bead, and Cement in Periprosthetic Joint Infection Following Hip-Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Commercially Available Products
- Culture-Specific Outcomes of Intra-Articular Antibiotic Infusion With Implant-Retaining Debridement for Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty
- From Measured Accuracy to Patient Outcome: Navigation in Total Hip Arthroplasty and Molecular Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Joint Infection: A Narrative Review
- Femoral Stem Design Influences Early Periprosthetic Fracture Risk Following Total Hip Arthroplasty.
BibTeX
@article{girbovan2026polymicrobial,
title = {{Polymicrobial Periprosthetic Infection with Pasteurella canis Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Case Report.}},
author = {Elena Cristina Gîrbovan and Alexandra Ioana Asztalos and Adrian Vlad Pop and Anca Meda Văsieșiu and Mircea Gîrbovan and Anca Cighir},
journal = {Reports (MDPI)},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/reports9040331},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42924783},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Polymicrobial Periprosthetic Infection with Pasteurella canis Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Case Report.
AU - Elena Cristina Gîrbovan
AU - Alexandra Ioana Asztalos
AU - Adrian Vlad Pop
AU - Anca Meda Văsieșiu
AU - Mircea Gîrbovan
AU - Anca Cighir
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/29
JO - Reports (MDPI)
DO - 10.3390/reports9040331
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42924783
AB - Background and clinical significance:Pasteurella spp. are Gram-negative coccobacilli, aerobic facultatively anaerobic, belonging to the Pasteurellaceae family. In humans, they are known to cause zoonotic diseases, which usually develop after dog or cat bites, licks or scratches. Case presentation: We present the case of a 61-year-old patient, with cardiovascular comorbidities, who presented to the Orthopedics Department, 38 days after knee replacement surgery, with recurrence of pain on walking, an antalgic gait with auxiliary support, and local signs of inflammation at the level of the left knee joint. The patient admitted to owning a dog who accidentally licked the post-surgical wound. The symptoms were suggestive of a post-surgical wound infection with extension to the periprosthetic area. A purulent discharge was collected from the wound during surgical debridement and sent to the microbiological laboratory for diagnosis, where Pasteurella canis was identified using MALDI-TOF MS. Antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) was performed according to the EUCAST guidelines and empiric antibiotic treatment was started with Cefuroxime. During his future admissions to the Orthopedics and Infectious Diseases departments, two more samples were collected, in which Pasteurella canis was isolated, along with Klebsiella oxytoca (second sample), and Klebsiella oxytoca and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (third sample). Patient evolution was favorable due to the debridement of the wound and combined antibiotic treatment, with Ceftazidime and Gentamicin. Conclusions: Infections with Pasteurella canis are rare but slowly increasing due to more and more humans owning pets. The present case underlines the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations when rare pathogens are identified.
SN - 2571-841X
ER -