Severe Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection diagnosed at laparoscopy.

There has been increased awareness in recent years of the association between chronic hepatic cirrhosis and severe infection with Yersinia (Pasteurella) pseudotuberculosis. Marlon et al. (1971) described two cases of Y. pseudotuberculosis septicaemia and reviewed 21 previously documented cases. Of 10 cases with chronic hepatic cirrhosis and haemochromatosis only one survived. Yamashiro et al. (1971) reported a further survival in a patient with haemochromatosis. We report survival in a case of severe Y. pseudotuberculosis infection associated with haemochromatosis, where diagnosis was made by laparoscopy.