Isolation of Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis from human specimens and their drug-resistance in the Niigata District of Japan.

A total number of 60 Yersina strains (Yersinia enterocolitica 58; Yersinia pseudotuberculosis 2) were isolated from 58 patients who were more or less doubtful to yersinia infection in the Niigata district. An etiologic significance with respect to serogroup and biovar was investigated from the following viewpoints, (1) serum agglutinin titer; (2) positive recovery in the follow-up; (3) relation of positive specimen to the inflammatory lesion, (4) comparison with the isolates from a healthy group. Thus, etiologic significance was highly susceptible in the cases with 03 (4), 03 (3), and 05B (2) of Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis, less susceptible in those with 05A (1) and 015 (1) of Y. enterocolitica and not susceptible in those with 06 (1), 07,8 (1), and 012 (1) or Y. enterocolitica. Among the isolates, drug-resistant strains--some of them involved with R plasmid--were demonstrated.