Browsing by Author "Rahkila, Seija"

The main causes for human enteritis in Finland are Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia enterocolitica after Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. Registered yersinia infections exceed 700 yearly in Finland. Y. enterocolitica is the main cause for most of these cases. Reported outbreaks and a number of cases of Y. pseudotuberculosis have increased in Finland. Infections caused by Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. enterocolitica transfer mostly via food and water. The epidemiology of Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. enterocolitica infections is unclear. The main reservoirs of Y. pseudotuberculosis are rodents and birds. A major reservoir for human pathogenic strains of Y. enterocolitica is a swine. In this study, reservoir of Y. pseudotuberculosis and pathogenic strains of Y. enterocolitica were examined from small mammals caught in Finland. Small mammals examined were European common shrew (Sorex araneus), bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) and field vole (Microtus agrestis). One hundred specimens were examined. The second purpose of this study was to determine how a new agar, developed for isolation of Y. pestis, was suited for isolation of Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. enterocolitica in practise. BIN-agar was described as a well selective agar. Additionally, colony morphology formed by Y. pestis, Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. enterocolitica on BIN-agar were reported to appear recognisable. These colonies distinguished from colonies formed by other gram-negative bacteria tested on BIN-agar. In this study, Yersinia spp. were isolated from 6% specimens examined. Pathogenic yersiniae were not isolated. Prevalence for Y. enterocolitica was 2 %, after isolated from two specimens. Biotype for these two strains was 1A. Biotype 1A is considered as a non-pathogenic biotype. Y. pseudotuberculosis was not isolated. Nonpathogenic Y. kristensenii was isolated from four (4 %) small mammals. BIN-agar did not prove any especially good practical characteristic of use. BIN-agar was not selective enough for isolation of yersiniae. Also the morphology of colonies of yersiniae were not recognisable.