Yersinia

Member of
Enterobacteriaceae

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Gram negative, small rod

shape
Y. enterocolitica,
Y. pseudotuberculosis,
Y. pestis

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Cells of Yersinia are small 1mm or less on

nutrient agar
Y. enterocolitica, Y. pseudotuberculosis, Y.
pestis are the three pathogenic species
Y. enterocolitica and Y.
pseudotuberculosis cause the food borne
disease.
Y. Pestis causes the bubonic plague or
black death in Europe

Yersinia

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Yersinia

Small rods

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Gram-negative rods.

Yersinia

Yersinia

Enterobacteriaceae
Growth of Y. enterocolitica on blood agar medium

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Yersinia

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18 hours incubation on
MacConkey Agar at 37C

18 hours incubation on Yersinia

entreo Selective Agar at 37C

Yersinia
Low

Able to grow at 4C
Some biochemical characteristics are temperature
dependent
expose at 28-30C but not at 37C

temperature pathogen

Mobile below 30C but not at 37C

Incubation at 37C loss of the virulence plasmid &
plasmid mediated properties

Yersinia is psychrotroph.
So, may continue to grow under refrigeration

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Yersinia

Influence of incubation temperature in the motility of Y. enterocolitica

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At 28C Y. enterocolitica is motile and is seen

(arrowed) spreading away from the stab
inoculums during growth in semi-solid
medium.
At 37C, the org. is non-motile

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Yersiniosis
Infectious disease caused by
Yersinia
Only Y. enterocolitica and Y.
pseudotuberculosis cause
gastroenteritis
Symptoms;
Gastroenteritis
Abdominal pain, diarrhea (often
bloody) , vomiting, fever
In older children and adults,
right-sided abdominal pain
(pseudo-appendicitis)

Right sided abdominal pain may be

confused with appendicitis.

In a small proportion of cases,

complications such as skin rash,
joint pains, or spread of bacteria to
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the bloodstream can occur.

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Yersiniosis

Onset illness, between 24 to

48 hours after ingestion
Occasional Y. enterocolitica
GI infection followed by
arthritis of peripheral joints
2 - 6 weeks after intestinal
infection clears
Called reactive arthritis
(Reithers syndrome)
may occur even in the
absence of obvious
symptoms.

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Yersiniosis

Antibody (T-cell)

HLA-B27
antigen
Host cell
Cross react

VS

Bacterial antigen

Arthritis of peripheral joint

(post food poisoning consequences)
The
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frequency of postenteritis arthritic conditions is about 2-3%

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Can occur with people who has human lymphocyte antigen B27
(HLA-B27) the antigen exposed on the host cell
Thought to be caused by T-cells and/or antibodies
elicited by antigens that cross-react with host antigens, not by
infection of the joints
common in people with histocompatibility antigen HLA-B27
(exposed on surface of host cells)
antibodies vs. bacterial surface antigens cross-react with human
B27, activate C'
T-cells recognizing B27 may attack host cells

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Yersinia enterocolitica

Optimum temperature 2229C (range of -2 to 45C)

Foods involved in
transmission;

Meats (pork, beef, lamb, etc.)

Oysters, fish
Raw milk

Prevalent in the soil and

water and in animals such
as pigs

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Yersinia enterocolitica

Infected by;

Susceptibility;

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Eating contaminated food raw

or undercooked pork products
Drinking contaminated
unpasteurized milk or untreated
water
Infants, children
Compromised adults
individuals with the antigen HLAB27 (postenteritis arthritis)
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Yersinia
pestis

Hosts of Yersinia pestis

Mammalian
Human
Rodent

http://www.channel4.com/history/
microsites/H/history/plaegu/plague.html
Science Picture Library

Insect
Xenopsylla cheopis

www.exn.ca/Stories/ 2000/09/12/52.asp

Symptoms
idcs0100.lib.iup.edu/ WestCivI/the8.htm

www.imcworldwide.org/ cbr/L1C-m2.html

http://aci.mta.ca/Courses/Biology/Images/bacterial%20folder/Plague.h

Bubonic
Pneumonic
Septicemic

www.niaid.nih.gov/dir/ labs/lhbp/hinnebusch.htm

Transmission Cycles The transmission cycle of Y. pestis is vector-dependent, and

is usually dependent on X. cheopis, the rat flea

www.pon.nic.in/fil-free/ vcrc/plague.html

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is based
primarily on clinical
suspicion USAMRIID

Staining

Culture

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/plague/p4.htm

www.einsamer-schuetze.com/natur/krankheit/pest/bedrohung.html

Diagnosis for Y. pestis is based on

staining blood, sputum, CSF or lymph node
aspirates with Gram, Wayson or Giemsa staining,
but a definitive diagnosis requires a culture.
The green picture at the top of the slide is
a presumptive positive confirmation via
immunofluoresence for the presence of F1 antigen,
which is specific to the Y. pestis .The tan picture Is an
SEM image of Y. pestis from culture.
Currently, only culturing is the definitive
method of confirming a diagnosis of bubonic plague,
The Rapid Detection Test is being
collaboratively developed by the WHO Coll. Center
for Plague in Madagascar and France, as well as the
Ministry of Health in Madagascar

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Treatment

ANTIBIOTICS:- streptomycin ,ciprofloxacin or

doxycycline

Development of resistant strains

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/337/10/677

Pathogenesis
Evolution
Plasmids
Type III Secretion
Virulence Factors

dr-gng.dp.ua/death/ black/death_0.htm

Plasmids

http://tecfaetu.unige.ch/wiki/index.php/PrincipeTransgenese

pPCP1 :interferes with

blood coagulation.
pPMT1: have a role in
resisting monocytic
phagocytosis.
pCD1: the most
important plasmid
necessary for virulence
in Y. pestis.

Type III Secretion

Yersinia pestis relies on Type III

secretion for many of its anti-immune
system properties
A major component of Type III
secretion is the Injectisome
Yops inhibit phagocytosis

Virulence Factors

http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/280/11/10388

Invasins
Tyrosine
Phosphatase
, Y. pestis is well
equipped to both
avoid
phagocytosis
and to deal with
engulfment

Detection

www.allwestselectsires.com/ ecf.asp

Rapid Detection Test

The RDT is a test
sensitive to the
presence of the plaguespecific F1 antigen
using monoclonal
antibodies.

www.testsymptomsathome.com/ TEC01.asp

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