[Survival of Yersinia enterocolitica in the environment (author's transl)]

Laboratory experiments have proved that at ambiant temperature in shade Y. enterocolitica can survive in surface water as well as in a dried state. Survival time is variable: (1) In sea water, some strains disappeared in a few days while other strains survived several weeks (2) In spring water, with little organic matter, the number of living organisms diminished rapidly and none could be cultivated after one and a half months, (3) In dry chemically pure sand, the number of living organisms began to fall off after three months and fell to zero after six months, (4) The longest survival time was observed in surface water, rich in organic matter, such as pond waters. After more than 900 days, living organisms could still be isolated. The facts give some insight into the survival of Y. enterocolitica in the environment and help us to understand some epidemiological observations.