title: Epidemiology of sporadic Campylobacter infection in the United States and declining trend in incidence, FoodNet 1996-1999.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: California Emerging Infections Program, California Department of Health Services, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA. msamuel@dhs.ca.gov
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Samuel
authors.forename: Duc J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Vugia
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shallow
authors.forename: Ruthanne
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcus
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Segler
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McGivern
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kassenborg
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reilly
authors.forename: Malinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Angulo
authors.forename: Robert V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Tauxe
mesh_terms: 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