Routine culture of stool specimens for Yersinia enterocolitica is not a cost-effective procedure.

Cefsulodin-Irgasin-novobiocin (CIN) agar was used to isolate Yersinia enterocolitica from 3,622 stool specimens received in our laboratory during a 1-year period. Seven specimens (0.2%) yielded Y. enterocolitica strains from a total of five patients. The low frequency of Y. enterocolitica isolation observed, coupled with the isolation of this pathogen from three of the five patients by our standard stool examination protocol, leads us to conclude that routine culture of stool specimens on CIN agar is not a cost-effective procedure.