Implications of Yersinia enterocolitica biotyping.
Open Access
- 1 January 1994
- journal article
- research article
- Published by BMJ in Archives of Disease in Childhood
- Vol. 70 (1), 19-21
- https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.70.1.19
Abstract
The utility of a simple biotyping scheme to differentiate pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains of Yersinia enterocolitica was determined for 79 patients who were admitted to or attended a reference children's hospital in western Canada. Biotyping defined predominantly two subsets of Y enterocolitica. 'Pathogenic' strains were more likely to have been obtained from younger patients (mean age 61.9 months) who experienced an acute gastrointestinal illness that was occasionally associated with bloody diarrhoea or a surgical procedure. Growth of Y enterocolitica from selective solid bacteriological growth media were often in the moderate to heavy range (82.0%). In contrast, 'non-pathogenic' strains were more often obtained from older patients (mean 116.0 months) who were already recognised to have suffered from a chronic illness and who were likely to have been admitted to hospital. Moderate to heavy growth of bacterium in stool specimens were infrequently (17.4%) obtained from the latter patients. The use of a simple biotyping scheme for the differentiation of Y enterocolitica strains has the potential to improve patient care.Keywords
This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- Revised biogrouping scheme of Yersinia enterocolitica.1987
- Comparative epidemiology of Yersinia enterocolitica and related species in patients and healthy controls.1987
- Italian experience with yersiniosis (1978-1985).1987
- Diagnostic value of plasmid analyses and assays for virulence in Yersinia enterocoliticaDiagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 1984