Isolation of Yersinia enterocolitica from milk and milk products in Zaria, Nigeria.

Fourteen isolates of Yersinia enterocolitica were obtained from a total of 319 samples of raw milk and milk products. None of the isolates produced heat-stable enterotoxin as measured by infant mouse test. All the isolates were sensitive to tetracycline, gentamicin, sulfamethoxazole trimethoprim and resistant to cephaloridine, ampicillin, nitrofurantoin and carbenicillin. Most of the isolates were probably environmental strains. This paper reports isolation of Y. enterocolitica from milk and milk products for the first time in Nigeria.