Sepsis and empyema caused by Yersinia enterocolitica

Yersinia enterocolitica is the cause of gastrointestinal infection in the overwhelming majority of recognized cases, although extraintestinal sites are occasionally involved. We report a case of Y. enterocolitica septicemia and empyema complicated by the adult respiratory distress syndrome. The organism was also recovered from the patient's feces by alkaline enrichment and persisted through at least 19 days of antibiotic treatment.