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Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Veterinary bacteriology: information about important bacteria
Veterinary bacteriology


Species/Subspecies: Yersinia enterocolitica subsp. enterocolitica
Categories: Zoonotic; motile
Etymology: Genus name: named after the French bacteriologist A.J.E. Yersin, who in 1894 first isolated the bacterium, which causes the plague.
Species epithet: refers to intestine and colon.
Subspecies epithet: see Species epithet.
Significance:  [Very important]   
Taxonomy:
Phylum
Pseudomonadota
Class
Gammaproteobacteria
Order
Enterobacterales
Family
Yersiniaceae 
Genus
Yersinia
Type Strain: ATCC 9610 = CCUG 11291 och 12369 = NCTC 12982.
Macromorphology (smell):
Yersinia enterocolitica  
Forms small greyish colonies, which do not produce hemolysis on blood agar.
Micromorphology: Motile rods (0.5-0.8 x 1-3 µm) with peritrichous flagella.
Gram +/Gram -:
Yersinia enterocolitica  
G-
Metabolism: Fakultatively anaerobic
Catalase/Oxidase:+/-
Other Enzymes: Ornithine decarboxylase +, tryptophanase (-) and urease (+)
Fermentation of carbohydrates: Glucose (gas) -, Lactose -, Mannitol +, Rhamnose -, Sorbitol + och Suc +. Cf. other Yersinia spp.
Spec. Char.: Psychrotrophic
Special Media:
Yersinia enterocolitica  
Small (1-2 mm in diameter) translucent colonies, which become dark red in the centre ("bull's eye") on CIN-agar.
Reservoir: Pig
Disease:
HostsDiseaseClinical picture
HumansYersiniosis (food poisoning)Acute diarrhea (often bloody), vomiting, abdominal pain (similar to the pain of appendicitis), fever, headache, arthritis and skin rash.
PigSubclinical enteritisRare cases of enteritis, mostly mild not fully developed enteritis
EweAbortionSporadic abortion
Genome Sequence:
Acc-noStrainSize (bp)Genome
NC_008800 8081 4 615 899 1c + 1c 

16S rRNA Seq.:
Acc-noStrainNumber of NTOperon
AF366378 ATCC 9610T 1 461 

Taxonomy/phylogeny:
Yersinia enterocolitica  
Within the genus Yersinia, 20 species have been described, all species belong to the family Enterobacteriaceae.
Legislation: Y. enterocolitica belongs to category B as a potential bioterrorism agent according to NIAID
Comment:Mannitol and a pH indicator (neutral red) are included among other components in the CIN agar
Reference(s): No. 21, 174
Updated:2023-03-29

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