Abstract:Objective To genotype clinical strains of Pasteurella multocida isolated from conventional rabbits bred in different laboratory animal facilities. Methods From 2000 to 2018, 14 strains of P. multocida were isolated from laboratory rabbits obtained from different laboratory animal facilities; these were then cultured and identified using biochemical testing. Using capsular multiplex PCR and multilocus sequence typing, serotypes and genotypes of the clinical strains of P. multocida were identified. Results Capsular multiplex PCR revealed capsular serotypes A and B among the 14 clinical strains of P. multocida, which comprised 71. 4% ( 10 / 14) and 28. 6% ( 4 / 14), respectively. Six sequence types (STs) were detected by multilocus sequence typing: ST12, ST35, ST72 and ST73, and two new types, ST76 and ST77, described for the first time here. Conclusions Genotype diversity was observed in P. multocida isolated from laboratory rabbits, and the capsular serotype A, which is associated with respiratory disease, accounted for a relatively high proportion of isolates. This study reinforces the importance of quality control for rabbit breeding.