The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Pasteurella is a genus, or subdivision, of bacteria. The genus is in turn a member of the family Pasteurellaceae, which includes the genus Hemophilus. Members of this genus Pasteurella are short rod-shaped bacteria that produce the negative reaction in the Gram stain procedure, are incapable of the active type of movement called motility, and can grow both in the presence and the absence of oxygen.
Pasteurella causes diseases in humans and many species of animals. One species in particular, Pasteurella multocida causes disease in both humans and animals. For example, almost all pet rabbits will at one time or another acquire infections of the nose, eyes, and lungs, or develop skin sores because of a Pasteurella multocida infection. The bacterium also causes a severe infection in poultry, including lameness and foul cholera, and illness in cattle and swine. Another species, Pasteurella pneumotrophica, infects mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, and other animals that are often used in laboratory studies.
The annual economic cost of the losses due to these infections are several hundred million dollars in the United States alone.
In humans, Pasteurella multocida can be acquired from the bite of a cat or dog. From 20% to 50% of the one to two million Americans, mostly children, who are bitten by dogs and cats each year will develop the infection. Following some swelling at the site of the bite, the bacteria can migrate. An infection becomes established in nearby joints, where it produces swelling, arthritis, and pain.
Infections respond to common antibiotics including penicillin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol. Despite the relative ease of treatment of the infection, little is still known of the genetic basis for the ability of the bacteria to establish an infection, and of the factors that allow the bacterium to evade the defense mechanisms of the host. In the controlled conditions of the laboratory, the adherent populations known as biofilms can be formed by Pasteurella multocida.
The recent completion of the genetic sequence of Pasteurella multocida will aid in determining the genes, and so their protein products, which are critical for infection.