Yersiniosis

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KEY POINTS

• Yersiniosis is an infection caused by a type of bacteria called Yersinia. Because the bacteria usually enter the body through food, usually raw or undercooked pork, the infection is also called food poisoning.
• Diarrhea caused by Yersinia often gets better in a few days without treatment. Your provider will prescribe an antibiotic if you are having severe symptoms or if you have another health problem.
• Follow the full course of treatment prescribed by your healthcare provider. Ask your provider what symptoms or problems you should watch for and what to do if you have them.

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What is yersiniosis?

Yersiniosis is an infection caused by a type of bacteria called Yersinia. Because the bacteria usually enter the body through food, the infection is also called food poisoning.

What is the cause?

The bacteria can live in the animal or human intestine. Bowel movements can spread the bacteria to soil or water.

You may get infected if:

• You eat food that has the bacteria in it, especially raw or undercooked pork
• You eat or drink dairy products that have not been pasteurized (heated to kill certain bacteria) by the manufacturer
• You eat food that has been handled by someone who is infected
• You swallow water from a well, lake, stream, or city water that has not been treated to kill germs
• You have contact with an infected animal

The time between exposure to the infection and illness is usually 4 to 7 days.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms may include:

• Frequent loose, watery, unformed bowel movements, which may be bloody
• Belly pain, especially on the right side
• Fever
• Nausea and vomiting
• In more serious cases, swollen or painful joints or redness and painful lumps on the lower part of the legs

How is it diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms and medical history and examine you. Tests may include:

• Test of a sample of your bowel movements
• Blood tests

How is it treated?

Diarrhea caused by Yersinia often gets better in a few days without treatment. Your provider will prescribe an antibiotic if you are having severe symptoms or if you have another health problem. Make sure that you take all of your medicine as prescribed, even after you start feeling better.

How can I take care of myself?

Follow the full course of treatment prescribed by your healthcare provider. In addition:

• Ask your healthcare provider if you can take aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen to control your fever. Read the label and take as directed. Unless recommended by your healthcare provider, you should not take these medicines for more than 10 days.
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin, may cause stomach bleeding and other problems. These risks increase with age.
  • Acetaminophen may cause liver damage or other problems. Unless recommended by your provider, don't take more than 3000 milligrams (mg) in 24 hours. To make sure you don’t take too much, check other medicines you take to see if they also contain acetaminophen. Ask your provider if you need to avoid drinking alcohol while taking this medicine.
• Rest your belly, but make sure that you drink enough liquids to keep your urine light yellow in color. You can do this by eating small amounts and by drinking clear liquids. Clear liquids include water, weak tea, fruit juice mixed half and half with water, Jell-O, or clear soft drinks without caffeine (like lemon-lime soda). Stir soda until the bubbles are gone (the bubbles can make vomiting worse).
• Avoid liquids that are acidic, like orange juice, or caffeinated, like coffee. If you have diarrhea, don’t drink milk.
• If you have severe diarrhea, your body can lose too much fluid and you can get dehydrated. Dehydration can be very dangerous, especially for children and older adults. You may also be losing minerals that your body needs to keep working normally. Your healthcare provider may recommend an oral rehydration solution (ORS), which is a drink that replaces fluids and minerals.
• You may eat soft, plain foods. Good choices are soda crackers, toast, plain noodles, potatoes, rice, cooked cereal, applesauce, and bananas. Eat small amounts slowly and avoid foods that are hard to digest or may irritate your stomach, such as foods with acid (like tomatoes or oranges), spicy or fatty food, meats, and raw vegetables. You may be able to go back to your normal diet in a few days.
• Ask your healthcare provider if you should use nonprescription medicine to treat diarrhea. If you use it, make sure you use only the dose recommended on the package. Don’t use the medicine for more than 2 days without checking with your healthcare provider. If you have chronic health problems, always check with your provider before you use any medicine for diarrhea.

Ask your provider:

• How and when you will get your test results
• How long it will take to recover
• If there are activities you should avoid and when you can return to your normal activities
• How to take care of yourself at home
• What symptoms or problems you should watch for and what to do if you have them

Make sure you know when you should come back for a checkup. Keep all appointments for provider visits or tests.

How can I help prevent yersiniosis?

To keep from getting food poisoning:

• Wash your hands with soap and running water, and clean any dishes or utensils before you prepare, cook, serve, or eat food. Keep kitchen counters, cutting boards, and other food preparation surfaces clean. Replace used dishcloths, sponges, and kitchen towels with clean ones often.
• Cover any sore or cut on your hands before preparing food. Use rubber gloves or cover the sore with a clean bandage.
• Make sure the milk, cheese, and juice products you eat and drink have been pasteurized by the manufacturer (heated to kill certain bacteria).
• Wash fruits and vegetables well, especially if you are eating them raw.
• Thaw frozen meats in the refrigerator or a microwave. Do not let meat stand at room temperature.
• Keep juices from raw meat, poultry, and seafood away from other foods.
• After handling raw chitterlings (also called chitlins), wash hands and fingernails with soap and warm running water before touching anyone or anything, especially a baby.
• Cook all meat thoroughly. Use a meat thermometer to make sure meat is cooked enough to kill bacteria. Pork should be heated to an internal temperature of at least 160°F (71°C). Ground beef should be cooked until a thermometer inserted into several parts of the patty reads at least 160°F (71°C). Ground beef can turn brown during cooking before bacteria in the meat are killed. For whole chickens and turkeys a temperature of 180°F (82°C) is recommended for thigh meat and 170°F (77°C) for breast meat.
• Refrigerate any food you will not be eating right away.
• If you are served undercooked meat or poultry at a restaurant, send it back for further cooking. Ask for a clean plate, and for sandwiches, ask for a new bun.
• If you are camping or won’t be where you can get filtered water, bring a way to purify water, such as a filter or purifier, chlorine or iodine tablets, or a pot and stove for boiling water. If you need to buy a water filter or purifier, buy one that can filter out organisms as small as the ones that cause giardiasis, cholera, and amoebic diarrhea.
• Wash your hands with soap and running water after you go to the bathroom. Teach children to wash their hands carefully with soap and water after using the toilet and before having a snack or meal.
• If you take care of young children, wash your hands often and dispose of diapers carefully so that bacteria can't spread to other surfaces or people.
• Stay home from work until you feel better. Keep children with diarrhea home from daycare and school until they have stopped having diarrhea.