Yersiniosis as a gastrointestinal disease

Anti-yersinia antibodies were assessed in sera from 630 patients admitted to a department of surgery for acute abdominal disease, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In 21 patients a high concentration of yersinia antibodies confirmed recent yersinia infection. Eight patients had an appendicectomy performed; in all patients with antibodies against Y. enterocolitica 9 or Y. pseudotuberculosis IA a true appendicitis was found at operation. Two patients with Y. enterocolitica 3 antibodies had acute terminal ileitis and mesenterial lymphadenitis. In 4 patients a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis was established; 2 of these had cholecystitis. Two further patients had cholecystitis without pancreatic affection. Two patients had colonic diverticulitis, 1 with perforation. The results demonstrate that yersinia infection may commonly give rise to a variety of acute abdominal inflammations, and stress the importance of serological and bacteriological diagnostic procedures.