Yersinia enterocolitica gastroenteritis among infants exposed to chitterlings--Chicago, Illinois, 2002.

During December 2002-January 2003, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) investigated a cluster of Yersinia enterocolitica infections reported during a 10-week period among nine Chicago infants aged < or =1 year. This report summarizes the investigation of these cases and underscores the continuing risks for enteric infection among infants exposed to chitterlings (i.e., pork intestines), and the need for health-care providers to be aware of Y. enterocolitica as a cause of gastroenteritis, particularly in black children during traditional winter holiday celebrations.