ABSTRACT
Y. enterocolitica can cause diseases in humans and animals, but the source of infections is often not known. Several recent large outbreaks of Y. enterocolitica infections in Canada, Japan, and the United States have led to a worldwide investigation of foods as a vehicle of Y. enterocolitica infections. Y. enterocolitica is commonly recovered from foods. Many of the Y. enterocolitica strains isolated from foods are environmental biotypes which do not usually cause the typical gastrointestinal symptoms attributed to typical Y. enterocolitica infections. In many areas of the world, healthy dogs and pigs have shown to be carriers of Y. enterocolitica with the same biotype and serotype as the predominant clinical strains isolated from humans. Cattle and sheep are generally not considered to be carriers of the clinical biotypes of Y. enterocolitica. Poultry has not been proven to be a carrier of clinical biotypes of Y. enterocolitica.
