title: Risk factors for infection with Campylobacter jejuni flaA genotypes.
abstract: We aimed to explore Campylobacter genotype-specific risk factors in Australia. Isolates collected prospectively from cases recruited into a case-control study were genotyped using flaA restriction fragment-length polymorphism typing (flaA genotyping). Exposure information for cases and controls was collected by telephone interview. Risk factors were examined for major flaA genotypes using logistic and multinomial regression. Five flaA genotypes accounted for 325 of 590 (55%) cases - flaA-6b (n=129), flaA-6 (n=70), flaA-10 (n=48), flaA-2 (n=43), flaA-131 (n=35). In Australia, infections due to flaA-10 and flaA-2 were found to be significantly associated with eating non-poultry meat (beef and ham, respectively) in both case-control and inter-genotype comparisons. All major genotypes apart from flaA-10 were associated with chicken consumption in the case-control comparisons. Based on several clinical criteria, infections due to flaA-2 were more severe than those due to other genotypes. Thus genotype analysis may reveal genotype-specific niches and differences in virulence and transmission routes.
authors.affiliation: OzFoodNet, Hunter New England Population Health, Wallsend, New South Wales, Australia. leanne.unicomb@anu.edu.au
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Unicomb
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: O'Reilly
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Kirk
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Stafford
authors.forename: H V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Gilbert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005408:Flagellin / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005408:Flagellin; C067138:flaA protein, bacteria