Yersinia enterocolitica infections

Abstract

Three bacteria of the genus Yersinia are recognized human pathogens. Yersinia pestis is the cause of plague, a devastating epidemic disease transmitted from rodent reservoirs to humans by the bite of the flea. Y. pestis evolved from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, a cause of epizootic disease in animals and mesenteric lymphadenitis in humans, that can be transmitted through contaminated food.(1) Yersinia enterocolitica, recognized as a cause of human illness around the world, also causes intestinal infections and is transmitted from animal reservoirs through contaminated food. The various strains of Y. enterocolitica form a heterogenous group of bacteria that includes both well-established pathogens and non-pathogenic environmental strains that are ubiquitous in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Only a few phenotypic variants have been conclusively associated with human or animal disease. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009.