Yersiniosis - An Contagious Disease

Yersiniosis is generally described as an infection which can result from bacteria named as Yersinia enterocolitica. Mostly people get this infection by eating pork which is raw or undercooked. You can also get this infection from other animals like rodents, cows, sheep, rabbits and horses. But less commonly, dogs and cats also spread the bacteria too. Mostly young children are affected by this yersiniosis infection.

Typically, this yersiniosis infection causes fever and gastrointestinal illness like diarrhea. Most often, this infection clears up without any treatment. But in some cases, you may need antibiotics to kill the bacteria. In some rare cases, yersiniosis may cause other health issues like rash and joint pain.

Causes 

People will get this yersiniosis infection from eating the bacteria called Yersinia enterocolitica bacteria.  In some rare cases, people can get yersiniosis infection by receiving blood from an existing infected person.

You might eat the bacteria through:

• Drinking milk or water which can be contaminated with bacteria.

• Eating food which is contaminated is called food poisoning, and most often raw or undercooked pork.

• Handling the poop of a person or animal poop which has the yersiniosis infection.

• Preparing raw pork like chitlins and touching your mouth before you wash your hands and you can also spread the infection to others if you touch other one or their belongings.

• Touching the area of contaminated bacteria or an object which can be contaminated with bacteria called Yersinia enterocolitica bacteria and then putting your hands to mouth or touching the others before washing your hands.

Symptoms

Usually, yersiniosis infection causes problems in your digestive system. Typically, the symptoms of yersiniosis infection will usually appear between four to seven days after contact with the bacteria. Usually, these infections can last up to 3 weeks. The most common symptoms of yersiniosis infection in young children are:

• Abdominal pain and cramping senses.

• Diarrhea , usually bloody diarrhea.

• Fever

• Sore throat is called pharyngitis.

• Usually adults and older kids will have the similar symptoms as young kids. But they usually have abdominal pain on the right side. Many people with yersiniosis mistakenly believe that this condition is appendicitis since it gives pain on the right side of the abdomen which is the most common symptom of this condition.

You should remember that you are a carrier of the infection while you have diarrhea and also after the 3 months of diarrhea has stopped. Which means you can spread the infection to others if other people come into contact with your feces. You must take extra care to wash your hands to avoid spreading the infection and also make others sick.

Who might get yersiniosis?

Anyone will get yersiniosis infection. But this yersiniosis infection is more common in people especially in children than adults. And most importantly, people who prepare chitlins which is a food made from pig intestines are having more chances to get the infection. They also spread the infection to others, particularly children.

How common is yersiniosis?

Typically, yersiniosis affects about 117,000 people every year. Almost 650 people have to go to hospital for treatment and around 35 people will die from the infection each year.

Transmission

Yersiniosis infection is often spread to people when they eat poisoned food or through contact with people who handled infected food products. This infection can also spread to humans by drinking contaminated water or unpasteurized milk or touching contaminated feces and less commonly contact with an infected person and animal. Especially, infected people can spread the bacteria in their poop while you have diarrhea and they can also spread after months of diarrhea. Previous outbreaks of this infection wil be linked to food products like pork, pasteurized and unpasteurized milk, and tofu.

Diagnosis

Your healthcare professional asks about your symptoms and followed by a physical examination. And they also test the stool sample by sending it to the lab.

Treatment

Most of the cases, yersiniosis infection recovers without treatment from your physician. Your body flush out the bacteria which made you sick. But usually, it takes several weeks to flush out the symptoms of infection. While you are recovering, you should drink plenty of fluids to reduce the risk of dehydration. If you have a severe form of yersiniosis infection, you might need prescribed antibiotics to kill the bacteria.

Prevention

To prevent yersiniosis infection:

• You should not serve or eat raw or undercooked meat (pork).

• You must drink and serve only pasteurized milk and milk products.

• You must wash your hands with soap and water before eating and preparing food: especially before you touch the infants or their toys, pacifiers etc.., and wash hands after contact with animals or preparing raw meat.

• You should use separate cutting boards for meat and other foods

• You will clean the cutting boards, utensils, countertops with soap and hot water after you prepare the raw meat or else you can run them through the dishwasher.

• Try to cook meat thoroughly before you eat it, particularly pork products.

• You must clean an animal poop and you should clean the area that the poop presents.

• Avoid drinking directly from rivers, ponds, mountain streams like natural water sources, especially if the water is located near the farmland where pigs,goats, cattle are raised.

• If your pet dog or cat has diarrhea, you must wash your hands well as you care for it and you must check your veterinarian about their treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are the symptoms of yersiniosis?

Ans: Common symptoms in children are fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

Q2. What disease does Yersinia cause?

Ans: Yersinia enterocolitica is a gram-negative bacillus shaped bacterium that causes a zoonotic disease called yersiniosis.

Q3. What organism causes yersiniosis?

Ans: Yersiniosis is caused by infection with Yersinia pseudotuberculosis or Yersinia enterocolitica.

Q4. How is yersiniosis diagnosed?

Ans: Yersiniosis usually is diagnosed by detecting the organism in the stool of an infected person.

Q5. What antibiotics treat Yersinia?

Ans: Clinically, Y enterocolitica infection responds well to aminoglycosides, TMP-SMZ, ciprofloxacin, and doxycycline.