yersiniosis

Yersiniosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium of the genus Yersinia. In the United States, most human illness is caused by Y. enterocolitica. Infection with Y. enterocolitica occurs most often in young children.

Yersiniosis is mentioned as a specific zoonotic disease to prevent outbreaks in European Council Directive 92/117/EEC.^[1]

It has been associated with chitterlings.^[2]

Symptoms

Infection with Y. enterocolitica can cause a variety of symptoms depending on the age of the person infected. Common symptoms in children are fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, which is often bloody. Symptoms typically develop 4 to 7 days after exposure and may last 1 to 3 weeks or longer. In older children and adults, right-sided abdominal pain and fever may be the predominant symptoms, and may be confused with appendicitis. In a small proportion of cases, complications such as skin rash, joint pains, or the spread of bacteria to the bloodstream (bacteremia) can occur.

Treatment

Diarrhea caused by yersiniosis generally goes away on its own, though in some cases antibiotics are prescribed. In infants, however — particularly those who are 3 months old or younger — it can develop into a more serious condition called bacteremia, an infection of the blood. Infants who contract yersiniosis are usually treated in a hospital.

Depending on the severity of the diarrhea, your doctor may suggest modifying your child's diet for 1 to 2 days and encouraging your child to drink more fluids (which may include drinks with electrolytes to replace body fluids quickly).

Prevention

To reduce the risk of yersiniosis, take these precautions:

• Don't serve eat raw or undercoooked meat.
• Drink and serve only pasteurized milk or milk products.
• Wash hands with soap and water particularly before eating and preparing food; before touching infants or their toys, bottles, or pacifiers; and after contact with animals or handling raw meat.
• Use separate cutting boards for meat and other foods.
• Clean all cutting boards, countertops, and utensils with soap and hot water after preparing raw meat.
• Always cook meat thoroughly before you eat it, especially pork products.
• Dispose of animal feces and sanitize anything they have touched.
• Avoid drinking directly from natural water sources such as ponds and mountain streams, particularly if the water is near farmland where cattle, pigs, or goats are raised.
• As you care for a family member who has diarrhea, remember to wash your hands thoroughly before touching other people and before handling food.
• If your pet dog or cat has diarrhea, wash your hands frequently as you care for it, and check with your veterinarian about treatment and/or contagiousness. ^[3]

References