ABSTRACT
During a 4-year period, 4,448 human, animal, and environmental samples collected in New York State were tested for the presence of Yersinia enterocolitica or related species. A total of 339 isolates were identified as Yersinia and characterized according to source, species, biogroup, serogroup, and, in some instances, phage type. Four new biogroups of Y. intermedia were characterized. Of 149 human isolates, 120 (80.5%) were identified as Y. enterocolitica, and 29 were identified as either Y. intermedia (12.1%), Y. frederiksenii (5.4%), or Y. kristensenii (2.0%). Of the other 190 isolates, recovered from animals and the environment, 54 (28.4%) were Y. enterocolitica and 136 were either Y. intermedia (62.6%), Y. frederiksenii (4.7%), Y. kristensenii (3.7%), or an undescribed Yersinia species (0.5%). Two established human pathogenic strains of Y. enterocolitica were recovered: 59 isolates (37 from an outbreak) of "American strain" (serogroup O:8, biogroups Niléhn 2, Wauters 1, and Knapp and Thal 2, phage type Xz) and 11 isolates of "Canadian strain" (serogroup O:3, biogroups Niléhn 4, Wauters 4, and Knapp and Thal 1, phage types IXb). This was the first documented isolation of the Canadian strain in the United States. Isolates of other strains implicated in human disease (serogroups 0:4,33, 0:5, O:6,31, O:7,8, and O:8) were also recovered from both human and nonhuman sources.
Subject(s)
Yersinia/classification , Animals , Bacteriophage Typing , Cattle , Feces/microbiology , Food Microbiology , Humans , Milk/microbiology , New York , Serotyping , Soil Microbiology , Water Microbiology , Yersinia Infections/microbiology , Yersinia Infections/veterinaryABSTRACT
In a 7-month study during and after an outbreak of Yersiniosis in Oneida, N.Y., a total of 963 specimens were examined for Yersinia enterocolitica. Of the 103 Y. enterocolitica isolates recovered, 91 were from Oneida County. Sixty-two (60.2%) were from humans including 52 from Oneida County. The isolates from the outbreak were mainly serotype 0:8, which on biotypnig proved to be Niléhn type 2, Wauters type 1, Knapp and Thal type 2. The rest of the isolates were distributed among various biotypes and included organisms which belonged to eight different serotypes. The results suggest that Y. enterocolitica may be ubiquitous in New York State, as it was isolated from 10 to 25% of 275 water, milk, and animal specimens examined and from about 2.3% of 300 sequential stool specimens submitted for Salmonella and Shigella screening.
Subject(s)
Yersinia/isolation & purification , Animals , Cattle , Disease Outbreaks , Food Microbiology , Milk/microbiology , New York , Seasons , Serotyping , Water Microbiology , Yersinia/classification , Yersinia/physiology , Yersinia Infections/microbiologyABSTRACT
The API 20E system for Enterobacteriaceae, recently broadened to include identification of nonfermentative gram-negative bacteria, was evaluated and compared with the conventional method for complete identification of 221 nonfermenters, which were well distributed into 48 species or biotypes and included organisms not listed in the API 20E data base. The results of 16 tests common to both systems were in close agreement. The API 20E system correctly identified 71 (43%) of the 165 organisms included in the API 20E data base. However, almost 90% of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, three species of Pseudomonas, and Bordetella bronchiseptica were correctly identified to species.
Subject(s)
Bacteriological Techniques , Bacteroidaceae/classification , Enterobacteriaceae/classification , Gram-Negative Aerobic Bacteria/classification , Bacteroidaceae/metabolism , Enterobacteriaceae/metabolism , Gram-Negative Aerobic Bacteria/metabolismABSTRACT
The reliability of the Enteric Analyzer for identification of Enterobacteriaceae was evaluated using biochemical results previously obtained for 291 organisms with the conventional, R/B, and Minitek systems. The instrument correctly identified 77.3% of the organisms using conventional system results, 74.2% using R/B results, and 60.5% using Minitek results. The low rate of identification with the conventional system occurs primarily because the instrument is not programmed to consider delayed biochemical reactions. The arbitrary use of 90% and 99% probabilities for test reactions also contributes to a lower percentage of identification. The Enteric Analyzer does not replace the judgment of experienced personnel in the identification of atypical bacteria, but it may prove helpful in speeding up final computer identification of typical microorganisms.
