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Detailed information of YERSINIA ENTEROCOLITICA
YERSINIA ENTEROCOLITICA
DEFINITION:
A bacterial infectious disease of the small bowel caused by Y.
enterocolitica resulting in a dysenteric diarrhea.
EPIDEMIOLOGY:
- incidence: ?
- risk factors:
- age: all ages with peak at 2 years
- season: peak in cold seasons
- route: indirect: animals, food, milk, water
- environ: endemic & epidemic (Canada, N. Europe)
- High risk groups include debilitated and immunocomprimised
patients (often have septicemia with metastatic abscesses or
intestinal perforation) and iron-overloaded patients (i.e.,
hemolytic anemia).
- incubation period: 2 days
PATHOGENESIS:
- Yersinia enterocolitica is a gram negative rod
- invades Peyer patches and regional lymph nodes in the
distal ileum (mesenteric adenitis). Systemic spread and
microabscess production can occur. The terminal ileitis can
include the appendix.
CLINICAL FEATURES:
- mucousy/bloody diarrhea (dysentery)
- preschool children are often affected by both fever &
diarrhea while older kids tend to present with only diarrhea of
variable severity
- usually lasts at least 7 days
- associated symptoms include abdominal pain
2. Complications
- conjunctivitis
- erythema nodosum
- myocarditis
- uveitis
2. Infections
- meningitis
- carditis
- hepatitis
- osteomyelitis
- septicemia
- thyroiditis
3. Graves' Disease
- an antibody is produced to a protein from Yersinia which
cross reacts with the TSH receptor
4. Others
- relapsing diarrhea
- dehydration
- enteropathica arthropathy
- mesenteric lymphadenitis
INVESTIGATIONS:
- diagnosis is best made by bacterial culture (cold
enrichment)
- Y. enterocolitica can grow at 4 C and 25 C and this
character aids in identifying the organism; it is mobile at 25 C
but not at 37 C
MANAGEMENT:
- oral rehydration fluid (ORF) or intravenous rehydration
2. Antibiotics
- Septra
- Chloramphenicol
- Others
- Piperacillin, Ciprofloxacin
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Pediatric Database - YERSINIA ENTEROCOLITICA
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