Fatal Yersinia enterocolitica sepsis after blood transfusion

A patient with fatal Yersinia enterocolitica sepsis was seen recently in our intensive care unit. The patient had received two units of packed red blood cells during a surgical procedure. Cultures of the donor blood yielded Y enterocolitica, and a whole-organism enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of the donors' sera suggested a recent infection with Y enterocolitica in an asymptomatic donor. Though rare, Y enterocolitica, which can grow at the cold temperatures of refrigerated blood, should be considered as a possible source of sepsis following blood transfusion.