Piglets are a source of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica on fattening-pig farms.
To study the origin and spread of Yersinia enterocolitica among pigs, fecal and blood samples were repeatedly taken on a fattening farm. A few piglets were found to be already infected on breeding farms. After the piglets were mixed, the infection spread through the whole unit. Eventually, all the pigs excreted the pathogen.
Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. sonja.virtanen@helsinki.fi
Sonja
S
Virtanen
Laura
L
Salonen
Riikka
R
Laukkanen-Ninios
Maria
M
Fredriksson-Ahomaa
Hannu
H
Korkeala
D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D058889:Molecular Typing; D013552:Swine / Q000382:microbiology*; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000302:isolation & purification*