Note: isolation, characterization and epidemiology of Yersinia enterocolitica from humans and animals.

During an 11-year period (1983 to 1994), 51 strains of Yersinia enterocolitica were isolated from humans and animals. Specimens were collected from a total of 3601 sources consisting of 956 patients with enteritis, 300 patients with urinary tract infection, 1564 healthy humans, 510 swine, 38 guinea-pigs, 118 rats and 115 rabbits. Five strains of Y. enterocolitica, bio/serogroups 2/O:9 and 4/O:3, virulence positive, were recovered from patients. Forty-two variants of Y. enterocolitica belonging to pathogenic serogroup O:3, Voges-Proskauer-negative biogroup 3 were recovered from swine, rats and rabbits. The rate of isolation of Y. enterocolitica from diarrhoeal swine was apparently greater than those from healthy swine. The incidence of human infections due to Y. enterocolitica was very low and bioserogroups of isolates were different from the strains which were isolated from animals. There was no evidence to suggest that swine were the source of Y. enterocolitica in humans.