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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Food Safety and Intervention Technologies Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #347990
Research Project: Development and Validation of Innovative Food Processing Interventions

Location: Food Safety and Intervention Technologies Research

Title: Yersinia

Author
item Ukuku, Dike
item MD LATIFUL, BARI - University Of Dhaka

Submitted to: Food Microbiology: Fundamentals and Frontiers, Third Edition
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/2/2018
Publication Date: 6/20/2019
Citation: Ukuku, D.O., Md Latiful, B. 2019. Yersinia Enterocolitica. Editors: M. P. Docyle, F. Dietz-Gonzalez and C. Hill. Food Microbiology: Fundamentals and Frontiers, 5th Edition. Pages: 437-450

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Yersinia enterocolitica, a zoonotic pathogen that causes yersiniosis in humans and animals, is discussed. Yersinia entericolitica is a gram-negative, non-spore forming, non-toxin producing rod shaped bacterium. It is an aerobic bacterium but can grow anaerobically and is a good competitor with other bacteria. An important property of this bacterium is its ability to multiply at temperatures near 0 degrees C, and therefore can survive in many chilled foods. Growth temperature for Yersinia entericolitica ranges from 0 to 44 degrees C and bacterium belongs to the family of Enterobacteriaceae which is often isolated from clinical specimens. Since Yersinia enterocolitica is widely distributed in nature, it has the potential to contaminate foods especially produces surfaces. Contamination of foods with this pathogen and the pathogens ability to survive at low in temperature storage makes it a concern for both food manufacturers and consumers. Foodborne yersiniosis illnesses, incidence, persistence, survival, or growth, outbreaks and surveillance, zoonosis virulence and pathogenesis, detection/identification, mechanisms of growth of Yersinia in foods was discussed in this book chapter. Also, possible route of transmission, and conditions necessary for survival and growth in food system was discussed. Finally, we suggested that an improved methodology for detection and characterization of this pathogen is needed to effectively distinguish genotype among strains isolated from humans and food system.