[2] Some members of Yersinia are pathogenic in humans; in particular, Y. pestis is the causative agent of the plague.

[3] An interesting feature peculiar to some of the Yersinia bacteria is the ability to not only survive, but also to actively proliferate at temperatures as low as 1–4 °C (e.g., on cut salads and other food products in a refrigerator).

[4] Yersinia bacteria are relatively quickly inactivated by oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate solutions.

Iranian people with Crohn's disease were more likely to have had earlier exposure to refrigerators at home,[6] consistent with its unusual ability to thrive at low temperatures.

[10][11] In 1944, van Loghem reclassified the species P. pestis and P. rondentium into a new genus, Yersinia.