A multistate outbreak of infections caused by Yersinia enterocolitica transmitted by pasteurized milk.
In June and July 1982, a large interstate outbreak of Yersinia enterocolitica infections caused by an unusual serotype occurred in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Eighty-six percent of cases had enteritis characterized by fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. In three separate case-control studies, drinking milk pasteurized by plant A was statistically associated with illness. In a survey of randomly chosen households, 8.3% of persons who recalled having drunk milk from plant A during the suspect period experienced a yersiniosislike illness. Inspection of the plant and cultures of the available raw and pasteurized milk did not reveal the source or mechanism of contamination or a breach in normal pasteurizing technique. Although outbreaks of enteric disease caused by pasteurized milk are rare in the United States, the ability of Y enterocolitica to grow in milk at refrigeration temperatures makes pasteurized milk a possible vehicle for virulent Y enterocolitica. The extent to which milk is responsible for sporadic cases of yersiniosis is unknown.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001131:Arkansas; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology*; D008922:Mississippi; D013714:Tennessee; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission