Yersinia Enterocolitica O:3: An Emerging Cause of Pediatric Gastroenteritis in the United States

After an outbreak of Yersinia enterocolitica infections among black children in Atlanta, a seven-hospital study was conducted to determine the importance of this pathogen in other communities with large black populations. Of 4841 stool specimens from patients with gastroenteritis examined between November 1989and January 1990, Y. enterocolitica, Shigella, Campylobaeter, and Salmonella were identified in 38, 49, 60, and 98 specimens, respectively; 34 (92%) of 37 Y. enterocolitica isolates were serotype O:3. Of the 38 patients with yersiniosis, 37(97%) were children. Illnesses were clustered around the holidays, and 20 (62%) of 32 patients had been exposed to raw pork intestines in the 2 weeks before onset. Exposure was significantly associated with illness in a case-control study of eight patients identified at one hospital (P =.004). Infants ⩽ 6 months old with yersiniosis were more likely to have immature-to-total neutrophil ratios >0.50 than were infants of comparable age with salmonellosis (P = .02). Infrequently isolated in the past, Y. enterocolitica O:3 isemerging as an important enteric pathogen in this country, particularly among black children.