Y. enterocolitica is a Gram negative, straight, sometimes oval, short coccobacillus that belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family. Y. enterocolitica is widely distributed and is found in the natural environment. The main reservoir for these bacteria is animals, but they are also found in water and soil that are contaminated with the fecal material of infected animals. Not all Y. enterocolitica strains are pathogenic for humans. Y. enterocolitica was divided into six bioserotypes: 1A, 1B, 2, 3, 4, 5 and human pathogenic strains usually belong to the bioserotypes 1B and 2-5, which are able to cause yersiniosis. The major animal reservoir for pathogenic strains are pigs. Infections are usually acquired by eating contaminated food, especially raw or undercooked pork products, but also unpasteurized milk, plant products, untreated water and other food stored at low temperatures, in which Y. enterocolitica is able to multiply. According to the EFSA report published in 2007, the percentage of food samples contaminated with Y. enterocolitica ranged from 0% in Spain and Italy to 26% in Austria. The infection of humans with Y. enterocolitica may result in a variety of symptoms. The most common are two forms: gastroenteritis and pseudoappendicitis. The first disease occurs most often in children, the second one mainly in adults. Culture methods which are commonly used in the identification of Y. enterocolitica are complicated, time-consuming, and the results are not always clear. Recently, several DNA-based methods have been developed to detect pathogenic Y. enterocolitica in different samples. The introduction of these methods into laboratory practice would facilitate the identification of these microorganisms.
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