Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is a coccobacillary, gram negative bacteria that is motile at 25 ° C, nonmotile at 37 ° C and can live a long time in soil and water.
This oxidase-negative and urease-positive organism reduces nitrates and ferments glucose, galactose, maltose, mannose and xylose.
The Yersinia genus contains 11 identified species, 3 of which are known human pathogens: Y. pestis, Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis.
Y. pseudotuberculosis belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. DNA hybridization studies have confirmed the close relationship between the agent of plaque and that of pseudotuberculous yersiniosis.
Both yersiniosis and pseudotuberculosis can be spread form animals to humans by contact with infected animals and their feces; human to human transmission also can occur. However, consumption of contaminated foods so the most frequent means of infection.
The distribution of the etiologic agent is probably worldwide. The greatest concentration of animal and human cases is found in Europe, the Russian Far East and Japan.
The pathophysiological of Y. pseudotuberculosis infections involves colonization of the digestive tract translocation through the gut epithelium, establishment within Peyer’s patches, and transport to other organs.
Infection with Y. pseudotuberculosis is associated with wide variety of clinical symptoms including fever rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and arthritis.
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
