title: Do patients with recurrent episodes of campylobacteriosis differ from those with a single disease event?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although Campylobacter is the leading cause of reported bacterial gastro-enteritis in industrialized countries, little is known on its recurrence. The objective of this study is to describe the risk and the patient characteristics of recurrent episodes of human campylobacteriosis reported in Quebec.
  
  
  METHODS
  Laboratory-confirmed cases of campylobacteriosis reported in the province of Quebec, Canada, through ongoing surveillance between 1996 and 2006 were analyzed. The risk of having a recurrent episode of campylobacteriosis was described using life table estimates. Logistic regression was used to assess if gender, age and patient residential location were associated with an increased risk of recurrence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the baseline risk, the risk for a recurrent disease event was higher for a period of four years and followed a decreasing trend. This increased risk of a recurrent event was similar across gender, but higher for people from rural areas and lower for children under four years of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results may suggest the absence of durable immunity or clinical resilience following a first episode of campylobacteriosis and periodical re-exposure, at least among cases reported through the surveillance system.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montreal, 3200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec J2S 7C6, Canada. julie.arsenault@umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arsenault
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ravel
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Berke
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gosselin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016019:Survival Analysis