Stool samples were negative except for one, but in most cases, gastrointestinal symptoms disappeared before the patients were admitted to the hospital. None of these patients had had contact with Brucella -infected animals. Only six were cattle breeders, and seven had recent contact with animals through work or travel. We suspect that most of the patients acquired Yersinia through foodborne transmission. Two patients may have eaten the same cheese, although bacteriologic analysis of the cheese could not be performed.
Gastrointestinal symptoms are the most frequent.
At this stage of the disease, Yersinia could not be isolated from stools. Douzal Y. Policy of prevention against bovine brucellosis. Verhaegen J, Charlier J, Lemmens P, Delmee M, Van Noyen R, Verbist L, et al. Surgical aspects of an outbreak of Yersinia enterocolitis. Diagnostic procedures in a prospective multicenter study of 167 patients.