Yersinia enterocolitica

Taxobox
color = lightgrey
name = "Yersinia enterocolitica"

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image_width = 240px
image_caption = "Yersinia enterocolitica" colonies growing on XLD agar plates.
regnum = Bacteria
phylum = Proteobacteria
classis = Gamma Proteobacteria
ordo = Enterobacteriales
familia = Enterobacteriaceae
genus = "Yersinia"
species = "Y. enterocolitica"
binomial = "Yersinia enterocolitica"
binomial_authority = (Schleifstein & Coleman 1939)

"Yersinia enterocolitica" is a species of gram-negative coccobacillus-shaped bacterium, belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. Primarily a zoonotic disease (cattle, deer, pigs, and birds), animals that recover frequently become asymptomatic carriers of the disease.cite book | author = Collins FM | title = Pasteurella, Yersinia, and Francisella. "In:" Barron's Medical Microbiology "(Barron S "et al", eds.)| edition = 4th ed. | publisher = Univ of Texas Medical Branch | year = 1996 | id = [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=mmed.section.1621 (via NCBI Bookshelf)] ISBN 0-9631172-1-1 ]

Pathogenesis

Acute infections

Acute "Y. enterocolitica" infections produce severe diarrhea in humans, along with Peyer's patch necrosis, chronic lymphadenopathy, and hepatic or splenic abscesses. Additional symptoms may include entero-colitis, fever, mesenteric adenitis, erythema nodosum and acute terminal ileitis, which may be confused with appendicitis or Crohn's disease. Because "Yersinia" is a siderophilic (iron-loving) bacteria, those with hereditary hemochromatosis (a disease resulting in high body iron levels) are more susceptible to infection with "Yersinia" (and other siderophilic bacteria). See yersiniosis for further details.

Treatment

Treatment of "Y. enterocolitica" infections often requires aggressive antibiotic therapy, typically involving ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and polymyxin. However, some gastoenterologists, especially in Scandinavia, would say that antibiotic treatment should be initiated only when the patient has significant and persisting symptoms of gastroenteritis.

Long-term effects

"Y. enterocolitica" infections are sometimes followed by chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.cite book | author = Ryan KJ; Ray CG (editors) | title = Sherris Medical Microbiology | edition = 4th ed. | publisher = McGraw Hill | year = 2004 | id = ISBN 0-8385-8529-9 ]

"Y. enterocolitica" seems to be associated with autoimmune Graves-Basedow thyroiditis. cite journal | author=Benvenga S, Santarpia L, Trimarchi F, Guarneri F | title=Human Thyroid Autoantigens and Proteins of "Yersinia" and "Borrelia" Share Amino Acid Sequence Homology That Includes Binding Motifs to HLA-DR Molecules and T-Cell Receptor | journal=Thyroid | year=2006 | pages=225–236 | volume=16 | issue=3 | pmid=16571084 | doi=10.1089/thy.2006.16.225 ] Whilst indirect evidence exists, direct causative evidence is limited, cite journal | author = Tomer Y, Davies T | title = Infection, thyroid disease, and autoimmunity | journal = Endocr Rev | volume = 14 | issue = 1 | pages = 107–20 | year = 1993 | pmid = 8491150 | url=http://edrv.endojournals.org/cgi/reprint/14/1/107.pdf | format=PDF | doi = 10.1210/er.14.1.107] and "Y. enterocolitica" is probably not a major cause of this disease, but may contribute to the development of thyroid autoimmunity arising for other reasons in genetically susceptible individuals. [cite journal | author = Toivanen P, Toivanen A | title = Does Yersinia induce autoimmunity? | journal = Int Arch Allergy Immunol | volume = 104 | issue = 2 | pages = 107–11 | year = 1994 | pmid = 8199453] It has also been suggested that "Y. enterocolitica" infection is not the cause of auto-immune thyroid disease, but rather is only an associated condition; with both having a shared inherited susceptibility. [cite journal | author = Strieder T, Wenzel B, Prummel M, Tijssen J, Wiersinga W | title = Increased prevalence of antibodies to enteropathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica virulence proteins in relatives of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease | journal = Clin Exp Immunol | volume = 132 | issue = 2 | pages = 278–82 | year = 2003 | pmid = 12699417 | doi = 10.1046/j.1365-2249.2003.02139.x] More recently the role for "Y. enterocolitica" has been disputed. [cite journal | author = Hansen P, Wenzel B, Brix T, Hegedüs L | title = Yersinia enterocolitica infection does not confer an increased risk of thyroid antibodies: evidence from a Danish twin study | journal = Clin Exp Immunol | volume = 146 | issue = 1 | pages = 32–8 | year = 2006 | pmid = 16968395 | doi = 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2006.03183.x]

External links

* Genome information is available at the [http://www.ericbrc.org NIAID Enteropathogen Resource Integration Center (ERIC)]

Footnotes