Yersinia Species in Collagenous Colitis: a Serologic Study

Background: The etiology of collagenous colitis is unknown. An infectious cause seems a possibility, and in a recent report three out of six patients with collagenous colitis were shown to have had an infection with Yersinia enterocolitica. The aim was to investigate the occurrence of Yersinia antibodies in collagenous colitis.

Methods: Sera from 32 collagenous colitis patients and 17 healthy controls were analysed for antibodies against Yersinia virulence proteins.

Results: Collagenous colitis patients had Yersinia antibodies more often than the controls, 9 having a positive and 4 an intermediate antibody score of the 32 patients. In comparison, I out of 17 controls had a positive and 2 an intermediate antibody score, which represents a strong, although not significant, trend (P = 0.078).

Conclusion: The data showed that Yersinia antibodies are more common in collagenous colitis patients than in healthy controls. In some cases, Yersinia might have been the triggering event in the development of collagenous colitis.