Outbreak of Campylobacter infection in a subartic community.
A presumably waterborne outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni/coli infection in a subarctic community is described. Drinking water supplied to residents was delivered unchlorinated during a 4-week period. No Campylobacter sp. was recovered from the water supply. Three hundred thirty individuals (15% of the 2,200 exposed) became ill. Diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, nausea and joint pain occurred in 81%, 30%, 29%, 43% and 21%, respectively. Nine percent reported swelling of joints, and two cases of reactive arthritis occurred. A Campylobacter sp. was isolated from 9 of 33 individuals who became ill and from 1 of 33 healthy controls. All culture-positive individuals, 46% of culture-negative ill persons and 27% of healthy controls were seropositive. All strains recovered had an identical DNA profile.
Melby
K K
KK
Department of Microbiology, Ullevaal University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. k.k.melby@ioks.uio.no
Svendby
J G
JG
Eggebø
T
T
Holmen
L A
LA
Andersen
B M
BM
Lind
L
L
Sjøgren
E
E
Kaijser
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017000:Campylobacter coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014881:Water Supply