The autumn peak in campylobacter gastro-enteritis. Are the risk factors the same for travel- and UK-acquired campylobacter infections?

Abstract

In the autumn of 1992 there was an excess of campylobacter cases in Nottingham compared with the national average. No relative increase was seen for salmonella infections. A case-control study with a postal questionnaire was carried out to determine exposure to possible risk factors. The patients were 282 laboratory confirmed cases of campylobacter and 318 culture negative controls who had submitted a faeces specimen. All patients were aged 18 or older. The main outcome measures were relative risks for campylobacter infection compared with controls with a negative faeces culture. Twenty-five per cent of cases were associated with foreign travel. Eating chicken and handling raw poultry were the main risk factors for UK-acquired infections. The number of cases with a history of contact with puppies or drinking milk that was either unpasteurized or from bottles with bird-damaged tops was small. Eating chicken and handling raw poultry are the main risk factors for campylobacter infections. Contact with puppies or drinking potentially infected milk can explain only a small percentage of campylobacter infections. Risk factors for infection acquired abroad follow a different pattern compared with UK-acquired cases.