Table 2

Characteristics of 25 reviewed cases of neonatal pasteurellosis

ParametersNo of patients (%)
Median age at presentation (range)14 days (birth–30 days)
Median birth weight (range) (n = 20)*3180 g (1050–4300 g)
Sex
    Male14 (56%)
    Female7 (28%)
    Unknown4 (16%)
Clinical presentations†
    Fever20 (80%)
    Irritability/lethargy18 (72%)
    Apnoea, tachypnoea, dyspnoea11 (44%)
    Seizure, tensed anterior fontanelle, stiff neck11 (44%)
    Feeding difficulty10 (40%)
    Anaemia, thrombocytopenia4 (16%)
    Bradycardia, tachycardia3 (12%)
    Hepatomegaly3 (12%)
    Other‡5 (20%)
Diagnostic methods (number of positive culture/total cultures)
    Blood culture17/20 (85%)
    Cerebrospinal fluid culture14/18 (78%)
    Nasopharynx/pharynx culture3/4 (75%)
    Other§6
Clinical diagnosis (n = 25)
    Bacteraemia and meningitis11 (44%)
    Bacteraemia4 (16%)
    Meningitis¶4 (16%)
    Pneumonia2 (8%)
    Bacteraemia, meningitis and osteomyelitis1 (4%)
    Bacteraemia and pneumonia1 (4%)
    Osteomyelitis1 (4%)
    Conjunctivitis1 (4%)
Modes of transmission (n = 25)
    Vertical11 (44%)
    Non-vertical
        Non-traumatic animal exposure11 (44%)
        Traumatic animal exposure2 (8%)
    Unknown1 (4%)
Outcomes (n = 25)
    Died5 (20%)
    Survived20 (80%)

  • *Data were not available for five cases.

  • †Patient counts total to more than n values because patients with clinical presentation at >1 are counted more than once.

  • ‡Includes eye discharge (one case), jaundice (two cases), skull fracture (one case) and skin rash (one case).

  • §Includes cultures of eye discharge (case 6), placenta and gastric fluid (case 13), umbilicus (case 5), lung tissue (case 11) and pus (case 1).

  • ¶Case 8 had meningitis and brain abscess.