Isolation of Yersinia spp. from bovine feces

Infecção sistêmica por Yersinia enterocolitica em chinchilas (Chinchilla laniger)

Yersinia enterocolitica é uma bactéria Gram-negativa que causa infecções em diversas espécies de mamíferos. O agente, geralmente, provoca infecções restritas ao intestino e linfonodos mesentéricos, porém a infecção pode se tornar sistêmica ocasionando lesões em outros órgãos como fígado e baço. Neste trabalho descrevem-se dois surtos de infecções sistêmicas causadas pela Yersinia enterocolitica em criatórios comerciais de chinchilas no Rio Grande do Sul (Brasil). Os proprietários relatavam que os animais acometidos apresentavam apatia, anorexia e morte. Foram encaminhados 13 animais para a realização de necropsia. No exame post mortem dos animais observou-se esplenomegalia, hepatomegalia e áreas multifocais esbranquiçadas no fígado, baço, pulmões, rins e intestino. No exame microscópico visualizou-se infiltrado inflamatório de neutrófilos e macrófagos, necrose, deposição de fibrina e ocasionalmente pode ser observado coco-bacilos no centro das áreas de necrose. No cultivo bacteriológico obteve-se o crescimento de Yersinia enterocolitica nos animais provenientes dos dois criatórios. O agente foi isolado de amostras no fígado, baço, intestino e pulmões dos animais necropsiados, além do cultivo de fezes de animais de uma das propriedades acometidas. A yersiniose, portanto, é uma patologia que deve ser investigada em casos de mortalidade de chinchilas.

Clinical features of patients with novel Yersinia species

Our purpose was to describe the clinical features of patients with novel Yersinia species. Between 1985 and 1999; 194 patients had yersinia species isolated from stool specimens, 38 (20%) had non-Yersinia enterocolitica species; 12 (32%) had Yersinia intermedia, 7 (18%) Yersinia fredericksenii, 3 (8%) Yersinia kristensenii, and the remaining 16 (42%) were unclassified non-Yersinia enterocolitica species. The most common presenting symptom was diarrhea alone in 10 (26.3%) patients. Symptoms persisted for >1 month in 54% of cases; 21% had symptoms for <1 week; 18 (47%) patients were taking corticosteroids, acid suppressants, and/or antibiotics when Yersinia was isolated. An immunocompromised state was present in 11 (29%) patients. An immunocompromised host and administration of acid suppressants predicted persistence of symptoms for >1 month. Most [27 (71%)] patients received no treatment; 5 (13%) received antibiotics. In conclusion, novel non-Yersinia enterocolitica species, including Yersinia intermedia, Y. fredericksenii, and Y. kristensenii may represent up to 20% of all Yersinia isolates. Diarrhea is the most common symptom.

Restriction endonuclease analysis of virulence plasmids for molecular epidemiology of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infections

Restriction endonuclease analysis of virulence plasmid DNA was used to study the epidemiology of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infections. The origin of Y. pseudotuberculosis could be divided into two focus areas: Eastern Asia and Europe. Wild animals were an important reservoir for the Y. pseudotuberculosis seen in infections in humans.

Enterocolitis in cattle associated with Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection

A syndrome in cattle of diarrhoea and death associated with enteric Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection is described. Outbreaks occurred during winter and early spring in adult cattle grazing pastures waterlogged by recent flooding or persistent heavy rain. Antibiotic therapy was effective early in the course of the syndrome. At necropsy there was severe acute enterocolitis, and bacteria consistent with Y. pseudotuberculosis were observed in the lesions. This organism could usually be isolated from the intestines of affected animals but was recovered less often from other organs. Representative isolates were identified as Y. pseudotuberculosis serotype III. The association of this syndrome with waterlogged pastures and low temperatures suggests that these conditions favour transmission of Y. pseudotuberculosis infection in cattle. The role of Y. pseudotuberculosis as primary pathogen requires confirmation.

Yersiniaspecies infection of lambs and cull cows at an abattoir

The rectal contents of 330 cull cows and 66 lambs were sampled over the 1984-1985 killing season at a New Zealand freezing works for the presence of Yersinia species. Samples from the cows revealed one isolation of Y. pseudotuberculosis and one isolation of Y. intermedia. Samples from the lambs gave thirteen isolates of Y. enterocolitica, three of Y. inter-media, two of Y. pseudotuberculosis and one of Y. frederiksenii. Two of the isolates of Y. enterocolitica were shown to be serotype 0:3. Although no parallel studies were carried out on young cattle or adult sheep, these findings are consistent with the hypothesis that Yersinia infection primarily involves young animals. Thus there exists the potential for transmission of the above species of Yersinia from young animals to man which needs further detailed study.

Plasmid DNA relatedness among different serogroups of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

Thirteen different serogroup strains of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and two strains of Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 were examined for the presence of plasmids and plasmid-mediated properties, calcium growth dependency, and autoagglutination. Two Y. enterocolitica strains and eight serogroup (IA, IIA, IIC, III, IVA, VB, VI, and VIII) strains, except for five serogroups (IB, IIB, IVB, VA, and VII), of Y. pseudotuberculosis harbored plasmids ranging in molecular size from 27 to 115 kilobases. Filter hybridization of restriction endonuclease-digested plasmid DNA from different serogroup strains indicated that all plasmid DNAs conferring calcium growth dependency and autoagglutination shared a high degree of DNA sequence homology, regardless of the different serogroups of Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. enterocolitica.

Ovine abortion and stillbirth due to purulent placentitis caused by Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was isolated from an aborted placenta and stillborn lamb from a sheep flock having multiple abortions. Given intravenously, it caused elevated body temperatures and purulent placentitis in eight of nine ewes. Two ewes died following infection at 2.5 months of gestation. Two ewes infected at 3.5 months gestation aborted; three infected at four months gave birth to weak, premature, or moribund lambs. One ewe infected at 4.5 months gave birth to a healthy lamb. One lamb which died minutes after birth had focal necrotizing hepatitis, a lesion observed in a stillborn lamb during the original disease outbreak. Y. pseudotuberculosis was reisolated from endometrial, placental, and fetal lesions of experimentally infected animals.

Prospective systematic study of Yersinia spp. in dogs

A total of 93 Yersinia spp. were isolated from 68 of 252 dogs in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. The Yersinia spp. were 70 Yersinia enterocolitica isolates from 50 dogs, 2 Yersinia frederiksenii isolates from 2 dogs, 5 Yersinia intermedia isolates from 5 dogs, and 16 Yersinia pseudotuberculosis isolates from 16 dogs. Fifteen of 70 Y. enterocolitica isolates belonged to biotype 4 serotype O3 phagotype 8 (6 isolates), biotype 4 (maltose negative) serotype O3 phagotype 8 (4 isolates), biotype 3 (Voges-Proskauer and sorbose negative) serotype O3 phagotype 9 (2 isolates), and biotype 2 serotype O5.27 (3 isolates). The other 55 Y. enterocolitica isolates belonged to biotype 1 and were classified into serotypes O4, O5, O7 .8, O9, O10 , O12 , O13 .7, O14 , O15 , and untypable. Sixteen Y. pseudotuberculosis isolates belonged to serotypes IB (two), IIB (two), IVA (two), IVB (three), VA (five), and untypable (two). These isolates were mostly detected in cold months. Y. enterocolitica serotype O3 and Y. pseudotuberculosis were isolated more frequently from puppies. Y. enterocolitica serotype O3 was recovered at less than 10(7.0) cells per g of the jejunal-to-rectal contents and at less than 10(2) cells per g of mesenteric lymph nodes. Y. pseudotuberculosis was recovered at less than 10(4.3) cells per g of the cecal-to-rectal contents and at less than 10(2.9) cells per g of mesenteric lymph nodes. Almost all strains of Y. enterocolitica biotype 1, Y. intermedia, and Y. frederiksenii were recovered at less than 10(2) cells per g of gastric-to-rectal contents.

Significance of milk as a possible source of infection for human yersiniosis. I. Incidence of Yersinia organisms in raw milk in Shimane Prefecture, Japan

Twelve strains of Yersinia enterocolitica and 4 strains of a Y. enterocolitica-like organism (Y. intermedia) were isolated from 374 pooled raw milk samples. Growth occurred in a cold enrichment system using phosphate buffer solution (7 strains), peptone solution (5 strains) and yeast extract-casein-cystine broth (5 strains). Serovar 13,7 was most frequently isolated (8 strains) followed by serovars 5,27 (2 strains), 6,31, 7,8, 14 and 22 (each one strain). Two strains were untypable, serologically. Seasonal variation was of little consequence, but the regional incidence was an important feature of the bacteriological findings. Autoagglutination tests gave negative results with all isolates. Although so-called "clinical strains" were not identified, the relationship of the strains of Yersinia to milk-borne infections in humans cannot be excluded.