Enterotoxigenic porcine and human isolates ofYersinia enterocolitica in Sweden

Abstract

The production of heat-stable and heat-labile enterotoxins byYersinia enterocolitica was studied in 69 strains from healthy swine and in 24 strains from humans with acute diarrhea. All of the human strains were of serotype O3, and 20 (83%) of them produced heat-stable enterotoxin detectable in the infant mouse assay. All were negative in the Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell test for detection of heat-labile enterotoxin. Of the 69 porcine strains, which were of twelve serotypes plus 9 nontypable strains, 26 (38%) gave a positive infant mouse test. Of the porcine isolates of serotype O3, 42% were enterotoxigenic. A high incidence of enterotoxigenicity was also apparent among six other serotypes (53%). All porcine strains were negative in the CHO cell test. However, of seven culture supernatants from these porcine strains, three gave positive reactions in rabbit skin permeability tests, two of which were also positive in rabbit loop tests. Heat treatment of the supernatants abolished the reactivity in both tests. It is concluded that production of a heatstable enterotoxin is fairly common in porcine and human strains ofY. enterocolitica of serotype O3 in Sweden.