Four Sporadic Pediatric Cases of Yersinia enterocolitica O:8 Infection in a Rural Area of Japan

Jpn J Infect Dis. 2017 Mar 24;70(2):192-194. doi: 10.7883/yoken.JJID.2016.039. Epub 2016 May 9.

Abstract

In the spring of 2015, we experienced a cluster of 4 sporadic cases of yersiniosis in children in Nagano prefecture, a rural area of Japan. Two patients developed appendicitis-like episodes; one had acute gastroenteritis, and the other had bacteremia associated with liver abscess. The causative agent of these infections was Yersinia enterocolitica serogroup O:8. None of the patients had an underlying illness, and all have recovered completely. The patients were neither socially nor geographically related to each other. These 4 consecutive cases suggest that Y. enterocolitica O:8 has spread substantially in the middle part of Japan, and that this virulent strain might be more common than previously reported in our country.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Japan / epidemiology
  • Male
  • O Antigens / analysis*
  • Rural Population
  • Serogroup*
  • Yersinia Infections / diagnosis*
  • Yersinia Infections / epidemiology
  • Yersinia Infections / microbiology*
  • Yersinia Infections / pathology
  • Yersinia enterocolitica / classification*
  • Yersinia enterocolitica / isolation & purification*

Substances

  • O Antigens