A new study conducted by the Quadram Institute and the University of East Anglia, in collaboration with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), suggests that Yersinia enterocolitica may be a bigger threat to food safety than previously thought. After discovering the presence of diverse populations of the pathogen on foods, and finding similarities between Yersinia isolates from foods and from humans through whole genome sequencing (WGS), the researchers called for improved surveillance of the bacteria to understand its impact on human health.
Y. enterocolitica causes gastroenteritis in humans and, although the number of cases of yersinosis is low, it is likely underreported. Many people who experience gastroenteritis do not seek medical attention, and patients with gastrointestinal sickness are not routinely screened for Y. enterocolitica. The researchers cite that when the county of Hampshire began screening all diarrheic stool samples for Y. enterocolitica, the number of cases diagnosed for yersinosis increased from two over a 30-month period to 199 over the same length of time. Although pork products have historically been considered the main cause of foodborne yersinosis, a number of outbreaks have been traced to other foods including chicken, milk, and leafy greens.