Yersinia species (non-plague)

Trevor A. Crowell, M.D.

MICROBIOLOGY

  • Gram-negative coccobacilli of the family Enterobacteriaceae, facultative anaerobe
  • 3 Yersinia species cause human disease: Y. pestis (see separate module), Y. enterocolitica [Fig 1] and Y. pseudotuberculosis.
    • Other Yersiniae: Y. fredrikensii, Y. intermedia, Y. kristensenii, Y. bercovieri, Y. mollaretti, Y. rhodei, Y. ruckeri, Y. aldovae MAY rarely cause gastroenteritis and soft tissue infections in humans.
  • Culture growth is best on cefsulodin-igrasan-novobiocin (CIN), xylose-lysine-deoxycholate (XLD), Hektoen enteric (HE) or other specific media.

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Last updated: June 18, 2023