Habitat
Habitat and Geography: Yersinia enterocolitica is a worldwide food born pathogen that affects mainly young children. It resides in the gastrointestinal tract of its infected host and impacts the lymph tissues. Chinchillas, hares, monkeys, and humans are organisms that Y. enterocolitica is considered pathogenic for.
Image courtesy of Duncan Wright
Want to learn more about a species Yersinia enterocolitica is pathogenic in? Click here! or Click here!
Pigs
are also a well know reservoir for Yersinia enterocolitica (they
hog this host) therefore raw or undercooked pork is a prominent transmitter
of the bacteria. Within the pig the bacteria is most likely to be found on
the tonsils. To the right is a photo of me carrying one of these well know
reservoirs. (Don't worry I didn't eat him!) In addition untreated water,
contaminated tofu, and pasteurized milk (to learn more about the producers
of milk
click
here!) have been discovered as vehicles for Yersinia enterocolitica
(Huovinen, et al 2010). Other than Yersinia enterocolitica many other bacteria
live in the human gut including most classified under enterobacteriaceae.
This organism fits in this niche
because they are fully anaerobic which means they can survive in conditions
in which there is no oxygen available.
Image courtesy of Author
Learn about the adaptation
Learn about other organism interactions