Sepsi da Yersinia enterocolitica nel lattante: quando pensarci?

Abstract

The paper describes the case report of a sepsis due to Yersinia enterocolitica in an ex preterm infant of 32 weeks’ gestational age with birth weight of 1,220 g. The infant was admitted at 39 weeks postconceptual age to the emergency room for fever, feeding’s difficulty and abdominal pain with bloody stools. The physicians suspected the diagnosis of enterocolitis and Yersinia enterocolitica finding in the blood stream confirmed the diagnosis. The infant’s conditions improved under antibiotic treatment. Family history was negative, except for the particular anamnestic data of the domestic coexistence with dog puppies. Y. enterocolitica is an uncommon pathogen affecting infants, causing illness ranging from self-limited enteritis to life-threatening systemic infection, mostly in neonates. It is responsible for zoonosis, acquired from the ingestion of contaminated food or the contact with sick pets. This case-report provides an example of clinical presentation of Y. enterocolitica in early childhood.