Postdiarrheal arthropathy of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

Two patients with acute gastroenteritis in whom polyarthritis subsequently developed were found to have positive serologic results for Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. With resolution of the arthropathy the antibody titres decreased. While the patient without the histocompatibility antigen HLA-B27 had an acute, self-limited arthritis, the patient with this antigen had a more chronic arthritis. Serologic typing and stool culture for Y. pseudotuberculosis should be done in cases of postdysenteric arthritis.