Yersinia enterocolitica, first identified in the 1930s, began to gain wider recognition as a human pathogen in the mid-1960s as a cause of gastroenteritis, arthritis, mesenteric adenitis, and erythema nodosum. Infection in small children is usually limited to gastroenteritis.1 A review of the world literature discloses that intussusception associated with Yersinia species has been rare, with only eight reported cases.2 To our knowledge, this is the first report of this complication in the North American literature.
Report of a Case.—A previously healthy 8-month-old male infant was seen by his local physician with a one-day history of fever and diarrhea. No studies were performed, and no specific treatment was given. Symptoms persisted throughout the next six days, and because of the onset of bloody diarrhea and bilious emesis, he was admitted to another hospital on the seventh day of illness. Oral hydration was unsuccessful because of continued emesis.