Epidemiology of sporadic Campylobacter infection in the United States and declining trend in incidence, FoodNet 1996-1999.
Campylobacter species are a leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States, but few population-based data describing patterns and trends of disease are available. We summarize data on culture-confirmed cases of Campylobacter infection reported during 1996-1999 to the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) system. The average annual culture-confirmed incidence was 21.9 cases/100,000 population, with substantial site variation (from 43.8 cases/100,000 population in California to 12.2 cases/100,000 population in Georgia). The incidence among male subjects was consistently higher than that among female subjects in all age groups. The incidence trended downward over the 4 years, with incidences of 23.6, 25.2, 21.4, and 17.5 cases/100,000 population for 1996-1999, respectively--a 26% overall decrease. This trend was sharpest and most consistent in California. Overall, we estimate that ~2 million people were infected with Campylobacter in the United States each year during this time period. Although the number of Campylobacter infections appears to have decreased in the United States during 1996-1999, the disease burden remains significant, which underscores the need to better understand how the disease is transmitted.
Samuel
Michael C
MC
California Emerging Infections Program, California Department of Health Services, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA. msamuel@dhs.ca.gov
Vugia
Duc J
DJ
Shallow
Sue
S
Marcus
Ruthanne
R
Segler
Suzanne
S
McGivern
Teresa
T
Kassenborg
Heidi
H
Reilly
Kevin
K
Kennedy
Malinda
M
Angulo
Frederick
F
Tauxe
Robert V
RV
D002167:Campylobacter; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D005517:Foodborne Diseases; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007255:Information Services; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology