- Pathogen of animals and humans
- Found in intestinal tract and oral cavity of animals, eg. pigs, leading to infection of humans via contaminated carcasses
- Enterocolitis in man which lasts 2-3 weeks or develops into a chronic form
- Enteric disease in farmed deer
- Ileitis, gastroenteritis, mesenteric adenitis
- Pathogenicity related to a heat stable enterotoxin
- Y. enterocolitica infections are an important cause of enteric disease in farmed deer.