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What is it?
- Yersinia is a type of bacteria that can be found in the gut of pets, livestock and wild animals
- Yersinia can get into soil, water and food from the faeces (poo) of animals, for example from grazing animals or manure fertiliser
What's the risk?
- Yersinia can cause a type of gastro called yersiniosis
- Anyone can get yersiniosis but young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are at highest risk
- Foods at higher risk of contamination are pork, unpasteurised milk and raw vegetables
Symptoms of yersiniosis
- Symptoms usually start 4-7 days after eating contaminated food
- Common symptoms are fever, diarrhoea (often bloody in young children) and abdominal pain, sometimes like appendicitis. Some people get joint pain and rashes
- Symptoms generally occur for one to three weeks
Reduce your risk
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and dry them before preparing or eating food
- Cook pork thoroughly before eating, especially pork mince and sausages
- Make sure you store meat in the fridge at 5°C or cooler
- Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly under running water
- Avoid cross contamination for example, use separate cutting boards and knives for raw and ready-to-eat food, and store cooked food separately from raw foods
Page last updated: 13 March 2025