Enterocolitis due to Yersinia enterocolitica in South Australia

From August 1976 to July 1977, all faecal specimens (3298) sent to the Enteric Department of the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide were selectively cultured for Yersinia enterocolitica. Yersinia enterocolitica was isolated from three patients with diarrhoea, one of whom acquired her infection overseas. These organisms were not isolated from faecal or lymph node material collected from a limited number of sheep and pigs found to have enteritis at the time of slaughter. Enteric infection due to Yersinia enterocolitica does not appear to be common in Australia and selective culture methods using cold enrichment techniques do not appear to be justified especially in laboratories handling specimens derived mainly from adults.