Clinical Symptoms of Infection with Yersinia Enterocolitica

The clinical symptoms of 75 patients with infection with Yersinia enterocolitica (Y. ent.) in the district of Karlskrona in Sweden are summarized. 58 patients had gastroenteritis and 17 no symptoms from the digestive tracts. Erythema nodosum occurred in 24 cases. In 9 cases an atypical erythema appeared. 10 patients had arthritis and 1 only fever. The diagnosis was based on positive cultivation of Y. ent. (type 3) from stools and/or on serological tests. The prognosis was good. Several of the cases were familial. This enteric infection seems not to be uncommon in Sweden.