Yersiniosis (synonyms: intestinal yersiniosis; ICD-10 A04.6) is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Yersinia, especially Yersinia enterocolica, rarely also by Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (mainly Eastern Europe, Russia).
Yersinia enterocolica can be divided into the serogroups O:3, O:5, O:8, O:9. O:3 is responsible for about 90% of infections.
Pathogen reservoirs are various animals, with pigs being the main reservoir for the human pathogenic serotypes.
Occurrence: The pathogens are distributed worldwide.
The pathogen is not only viable in a body-warm environment, but also at temperatures between 4-8°C.
Transmission of the pathogen (route of infection) occurs largely through contaminated food, predominantly of animal origin, and contaminated drinking water. In rare cases, direct transmission by infected persons may also occur.
Human-to-human transmission: Yes.
The incubation period (time from infection to onset of disease) is usually 1-11 days.
The following forms of yersiniosis can be distinguished:
- Yersinia gastroenteritis (gastroenteritis).
- Pseudoappendicitis (lymphadenitis mesenterialis) – symptoms similar to appendicitis (appendicitis) due to swelling and inflammation of the lymph nodes in the area of the mesentery (mesentery), often also with lymph node conglomerates around the appendix vermiformis (appendix of the vermiform appendix)
- Yersinia enterocolitis – Yersinia migrate through the colonic mucosa (intestinal mucosa) and lead to inflammation (= bacterial gastroenteritis / gastrointestinal inflammation of the penetration type) in the lymphoid tissue of the submucosa (tissue layer between the mucosa and the muscle layer).
The disease duration of Yersinia gastroenteritis is usually 1-3 weeks.
Sex ratio: men are more commonly affected than women.
Frequency peak Yersinia gastroenteritis predominantly affects young children, under 5 years. Pseudoappendicitis occurs predominantly in older children and adolescents. Yersinia enterocolitis is more commonly seen in older children and adults.
The incidence (frequency of new cases) is approximately 4 cases per 100,000 population per year.
Germany was named as the country of infection in 98% of cases and Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, and Thailand in 2% of cases.
Course and prognosis: The course of the disease can vary and depends, among other things, on the age of onset. The disease is usually self-limiting. In the case of a severe course, antibiotics should be administered, especially to immunocompromised persons and the elderly.
In Germany, yersiniosis (with Yersinia enterocolitica, intestinal pathogen) is notifiable according to the Infection Protection Act (IfSG). The notification has to be made by name in case of suspected disease, illness, death.
