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Yersinia enterocolitica is an inhabitant in the lower intestinal tract of many domestic and wild animals as well as in the nature. Of the several forms of diseases caused by Y. enterocolitica, an acute enteritis, especially in young children, is the most common form. Infection of the bacteria usually occurs through fecal-oral route by contaminated foods or water, especially mountainspring water. Of the domestic animals, swine has been known as one of the most important carrrier in the human infection. Based on the knowledge, prevalence of antibody against Y enterocolitica was investigated with swine sera collected from Korea for the survey of Y enterocolitica infection in swine. As the first step of this survey, we analyzed outer membrane protein (OMP) profiles of the representative strains of Y enterocolitica isolated from the feces of piglets and mountainspring water in Korea. Thirty-eight kDa OMP was identified as the common OMP regardless of origin, serotype, or biotype of Y enterocolitica isolates. Presence of antibody specific for 38 kDa OMP of Y enterocolitica in 1,076 swine sera collected from November 1999 to October 2000 was analysed with ELISA. Antibody titer in sows was significantly higher than that in piglets, growing pigs and finishing pigs (p<0.05). Also, there was seasonal difference in the prevalence of antibody against Y enterocolitica. These results would provide the basic knowledge for controlling the Y enterocolitica infection in human as well as swine.
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