LABORATORY DIAGNOSTICS OF YERSINIOSIS

The article deals with the analysis of the current state of diagnostics of intestinal yersiniosis affecting animals and the importance of studying this bacterial zoonosis. It is based on domestic and foreign scientific literature and provides information on the spread of yersiniosis and laboratory diagnostics of this disease. Yersiniosis infections caused by Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia enterocolitica, which are pathogenic for humans and animals, belong to the most common acute intestinal diseases worldwide. The kinship of the causative agents of pseudotuberculosis and intestinal yersiniosis leads to the similarity of clinical forms. Until recently, intestinal yersiniosis and pseudotuberculosis were considered as quite rare diseases and did not draw any increased attention of specialists. For some time, however, the cases of yersiniosis have been drawing more and more attention of veterinary and medical workers, which is due to the prevalence of Yersinia in nature (soil, water, sewage, plants, dust), an increase in the number of people suffering from yersiniosis, and suboptimal methods of laboratory diagnosis of these diseases. Non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic norms and rules concerning the harvesting, transportation, and storage of food products (milk, meat, vegetables, root crops, fruits) or food for animals increases the risk of Yersinia being accumulated and infecting humans and animals. Presently, the epizootological-epidemiological feature of the causative agents of these diseases is the change in the populations of circulating Y. enterocolitica - in particular, the decrease of the share of serotypes that used to be dominating in the past decades and the rise of new sero- and biotypes that were previously considered non-pathogenic. Given the various clinical manifestations of intestinal yersiniosis, its ability to affect numerous organs and systems as well as its ability to act “in disguise” as various other diseases, the diagnostics of this disease is complicated and requires much effort.Taking into account the high potential danger of Yersinia bacteria to humans due to the contamination of food products of animal and plant origin, the laboratory diagnostics of Yersinia remains a highly relevant issue.