Yersinia enterocolitica invasin-dependent and invasin-independent mechanisms of systemic dissemination.

We report here invasin-dependent and invasin-independent mechanisms in which the enteropathogen Yersinia enterocolitica is able to disseminate from the lumen of the small intestine to the spleen. The invasin-dependent route is clearly discernible in mice devoid of intestinal Peyer's patches and mesenteric lymph nodes.