Prevalence of Raised Yersinia Enterocolitica Antibody Titre in Unselected, Adult Populations in Denmark during 12 Years

Abstract

Y. enterocolitica biotype 4, serotype O:3 is by far the most common human pathogenic Y. enterocolitica subtype in Scandinavia. It is extraordinarily immunologically specific; an elevated antibody titer .gtoreq. 80-160 is known to indicate acute infection. This titer was measured in 5 population surveys conducted in 1967-78, including 3278 examined adult men and women. The prevalence of titer elevation .gtoreq. 80 was 1.0% in 1967. In 1978 it was significantly higher, 7.7%; individual course of the titer in a 10 yr longitudinal survey showed a significant increase in this prevalence, indicating an increasing incidence of infection. Significant sex and age differences were seen, women and younger subjects being more frequently affected than men and older subjects. The prevalence of elevated titer showed a seasonal variation with a maximum in the spring and autumn.