A multistate outbreak of infections caused by Yersinia enterocolitica transmitted by pasteurized milk
C. O. Tacket, J. P. Narain, R. Sattin, J. P. Lofgren, C. Konigsberg Jr, R. C. Rendtorff, A. Rausa, B. R. Davis and M. L. Cohen
In June and July 1982, a large interstate outbreak of Yersinia
enterocolitica infections caused by an unusual serotype occurred in
Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Eighty-six percent of cases had
enteritis characterized by fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. In three
separate case-control studies, drinking milk pasteurized by plant A was
statistically associated with illness. In a survey of randomly chosen
households, 8.3% of persons who recalled having drunk milk from plant A
during the suspect period experienced a yersiniosislike illness. Inspection
of the plant and cultures of the available raw and pasteurized milk did not
reveal the source or mechanism of contamination or a breach in normal
pasteurizing technique. Although outbreaks of enteric disease caused by
pasteurized milk are rare in the United States, the ability of Y
enterocolitica to grow in milk at refrigeration temperatures makes
pasteurized milk a possible vehicle for virulent Y enterocolitica. The
extent to which milk is responsible for sporadic cases of yersiniosis is
unknown.
