Isolation of Pasteurella multocida in a patient with spontaneous peritonitis and liver cirrhosis.

A case of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis caused by Pasteurella multocida in a 12 year old boy with previously undiscovered cirrhosis of the liver is reported. This case is discussed and related to eight published cases of spontaneous peritonitis caused by Pasteurella multocida in adults, seven with cirrhosis of the liver and/or alcohol abuse, and one with systemic lupus erythematosus complicated by membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. It would appear that spontaneous bacterial peritonitis caused by Pasteurella multocida is not confined to adults with a history of alcohol abuse or cirrhosis of the liver, but can also affect children with non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.