Yersinia enterocolitica prevalence in the French pig and pork industry: first results of the French task group

Yersinia enterocolitica is the third cause of gastro-intestinal diseases transmitted by contaminated foodstuffs consumption in Europe (Efsa, 2009). Pig is considered to be the main animal reservoir of human pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica strains (Ostroff et al., 1995). The bacterium can be isolated from its tongue, tonsils or feces. In France, while the main pathogenic biotypes are known for humans (4/O:3, 2/O:9 and 3/O:5,27), few data are available regarding their prevalence in the pork chain production. In 2008, a French task group which aimed at developing common detection and identification procedures for Y. enterocolitica was set up by Ifip, Anses and Aérial. In 2009, a prevalence study was initiated in three slaughterhouses localized in two different French areas (Brittany and Alsace), in order to get preliminary Y. enterocolitica prevalence data on tonsils.