Summary: | To date, <i>Yersinia pestis</i>, <i>Yersinia enterocolitica</i>, and <i>Yersinia pseudotuberculosis</i> are the three <i>Yersinia</i> species generally agreed to be pathogenic in humans. However, there are a limited number of studies that suggest some of the “non-pathogenic” <i>Yersinia</i> species may also cause infections. For instance, <i>Yersinia frederiksenii</i> used to be known as an atypical <i>Y. enterocolitica</i> strain until rhamnose biochemical testing was found to distinguish between these two species in the 1980s. From our regional microbiology laboratory records of 18 hospitals in Eastern Ontario, Canada from 1 May 2018 to 1 May 2021, we identified two patients with <i>Y. frederiksenii</i> isolates in their stool cultures, along with their clinical presentation and antimicrobial management. Both patients presented with diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting for 5 days before presentation to hospital. One patient received a 10-day course of sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim; his <i>Y. frederiksenii</i> isolate was shown to be susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanate, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, but resistant to ampicillin. The other patient was sent home from the emergency department and did not require antimicrobials and additional medical attention. This case series illustrated that diarrheal disease could be associated with <i>Y. frederiksenii</i>; the need for antimicrobial treatment should be determined on a case-by-case basis.
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