Yersinia enterocolitica is a bacteria that can infect people through undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk, or contaminated water. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and vomiting. Most cases clear up within a month, but severe cases may require antibiotics. Prevention includes practicing good hygiene and safe food preparation.
Yersinia enterocolitica is a type of bacteria that can infect people when they eat undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk, or contaminated water. An infected person can experience diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and a host of other symptoms within hours of coming into contact with the bacteria. Most cases of Yersinia enterocolitica infection are mild and clear up in less than a month, although a severe infection may require a prescription course of antibiotics to completely eradicate the bacteria and prevent long-term health problems.
Many different animals can harbor Yersinia enterocolitica bacteria, including cattle and pigs. Most cases of infection are acquired after eating raw or undercooked pork or drinking unpasteurized milk. The bacteria are also present in animal feces, so eating unwashed vegetables or drinking water from a source near a farm or ranch can also lead to infection. Yersinia enterocolitica is not normally transmitted directly between people.
Gastrointestinal problems usually develop soon after Yersinia enterocolitica infection. A person may have nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps that persist for several days. Fever and frequent vomiting may occur, and some people experience additional symptoms that mimic appendicitis. In severe cases, Yersinia enterocolitica can lead to joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and difficulty breathing. An individual experiencing symptoms for more than a few days should visit their primary care physician to receive a proper diagnosis.
A doctor can check for Yersinia enterocolitica and rule out other possible causes of symptoms by collecting blood and stool samples for laboratory analysis. The doctor may also decide to perform a computed tomography of the abdomen to make sure that the patient does not have inflammation of the appendix. Once the diagnosis is made, the doctor can determine the appropriate treatment measures.
Some cases of Yersinia enterocolitica infection do not require medical intervention. If the symptoms are mild and do not significantly interfere with the patient’s lifestyle, the doctor may decide to simply wait for the bacteria to run their course and be passed through the bowel movements over the course of about a month. A severe or persistent infection can be treated with oral antibiotics, which seek out and destroy bacteria in the blood and gastrointestinal tract.
In addition to providing treatment, the doctor can educate the patient about ways to avoid future infections. A patient is told how to minimize the risk of infection by practicing good hygiene and learning how to safely store and prepare food items. Additionally, patients are often asked to take vitamins and maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine to strengthen their immune system’s defenses against bacteria and viruses.
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