Yersinia enterocolitica

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Yersinia enterocolitica
Yersinia enterocolitica colonies growing on XLD agar plates.
Yersinia enterocolitica colonies growing on XLD agar plates.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Bacteria
Phylum: Proteobacteria
Class: Gamma Proteobacteria
Order: Enterobacteriales
Family: Enterobacteriaceae
Genus: Yersinia
Species: Y. enterocolitica
Binomial name
Yersinia enterocolitica
(Schleifstein & Coleman 1939)

Yersinia enterocolitica is a species of gram-negative coccobacillus-shaped bacterium, belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. Primarily a zoonotic disease (cattle, deer, pigs, and birds), animals that recover frequently become asymptomatic carriers of the disease.[1]

Contents

[edit] Pathogenesis

[edit] Acute infections

Acute Y. enterocolitica infections produce severe diarrhea in humans, along with Peyer's patch necrosis, chronic lymphadenopathy, and hepatic or splenic abscesses. Additional symptoms may include entero-colitis, fever, mesenteric adenitis, erythema nodosum and acute terminal ileitis, which may be confused with appendicitis or Crohn's disease. Because Yersinia is a siderophilic (iron-loving) bacteria, those with hereditary hemochromatosis (a disease resulting in high body iron levels) are more susceptible to infection with Yersinia (and other siderophilic bacteria). See yersiniosis for further details.

[edit] Treatment

Treatment of Y. enterocolitica infections often requires aggressive antibiotic therapy, typically involving ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and polymyxin.[1] However, some gastoenterologists, especially in Scandinavia, would say that antibiotic treatment should be initiated only when the patient has significant and persisting symptoms of gastroenteritis.

[edit] Long-term effects

Y. enterocolitica infections are sometimes followed by chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.[2]

Y. enterocolitica seems to be associated with autoimmune Graves-Basedow thyroiditis.[3] Whilst indirect evidence exists, direct causative evidence is limited,[4] and Y. enterocolitica is probably not a major cause of this disease, but may contribute to the development of thyroid autoimmunity arising for other reasons in genetically susceptible individuals.[5] It has also been suggested that Y. enterocolitica infection is not the cause of auto-immune thyroid disease, but rather is only an associated condition; with both having a shared inherited susceptibility.[6] More recently the role for Y. enterocolitica has been disputed.[7]

[edit] External links

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Collins FM (1996). Pasteurella, Yersinia, and Francisella. In: Barron's Medical Microbiology (Barron S et al, eds.), 4th ed., Univ of Texas Medical Branch. (via NCBI Bookshelf) ISBN 0-9631172-1-1. 
  2. ^ Ryan KJ; Ray CG (editors) (2004). Sherris Medical Microbiology, 4th ed., McGraw Hill. ISBN 0-8385-8529-9. 
  3. ^ Benvenga S, Santarpia L, Trimarchi F, Guarneri F (2006). "Human Thyroid Autoantigens and Proteins of Yersinia and Borrelia Share Amino Acid Sequence Homology That Includes Binding Motifs to HLA-DR Molecules and T-Cell Receptor". Thyroid 16 (3): 225-236. doi:10.1089/thy.2006.16.225. PMID 16571084. 
  4. ^ Tomer Y, Davies T (1993). "Infection, thyroid disease, and autoimmunity." (PDF). Endocr Rev 14 (1): 107-20. doi:10.1210/er.14.1.107. PMID 8491150. 
  5. ^ Toivanen P, Toivanen A (1994). "Does Yersinia induce autoimmunity?". Int Arch Allergy Immunol 104 (2): 107-11. PMID 8199453. 
  6. ^ Strieder T, Wenzel B, Prummel M, Tijssen J, Wiersinga W (2003). "Increased prevalence of antibodies to enteropathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica virulence proteins in relatives of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease.". Clin Exp Immunol 132 (2): 278-82. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2249.2003.02139.x. PMID 12699417. 
  7. ^ Hansen P, Wenzel B, Brix T, Hegedüs L (2006). "Yersinia enterocolitica infection does not confer an increased risk of thyroid antibodies: evidence from a Danish twin study.". Clin Exp Immunol 146 (1): 32-8. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2249.2006.03183.x. PMID 16968395.