The descriptive epidemiology of yersiniosis: a multistate study, 2005-2011.
OBJECTIVE
Yersiniosis, a foodborne infection of zoonotic origin caused by the bacteria Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, is a reportable disease in 38 states. Both sporadic and foodborne outbreaks of yersiniosis have been reported in the U.S., with annual occurrence of an estimated 98,000 episodes of illness, 533 hospitalizations, and 29 deaths. We analyzed surveillance data from nine non-FoodNet-participating U.S. states during the period 2005-2011 to describe the epidemiology of this disease.


METHODS
As part of a passive surveillance system, laboratory-confirmed cases of yersiniosis were reported to state health departments in Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin. We calculated overall, age-, and race-specific annual incidence rates per 100,000 population using 2010 Census data as the denominator. We used Poisson regression to examine seasonal variation and annual incidence trends by race, age group, and overall.


RESULTS
The average annual incidence of yersiniosis was 0.16 cases per 100,000 population during 2005-2011. We observed a statistically significant decreasing annual trend of yersiniosis incidence among African Americans <5 years of age (p<0.01), whereas white people aged 19-64 years (p=0.08) and Hispanic people (p=0.05) had an overall increasing annual incidence of yersiniosis. We observed higher incidence during October-December (p<0.01) and January-March (p=0.03) quarters among African Americans, whereas white people had a higher incidence during April-June (p=0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
This multistate analysis revealed differences in the epidemiology of yersiniosis by race/ethnicity that may be useful for future research and prevention efforts. While this study was consistent with the FoodNet report in recognizing the high and declining incidence among African American children and winter seasonality among African Americans, our study also identified April-June seasonality among the white population.
University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Chicago, IL.
Apurba
A
Chakraborty
Arizona Department of Health Services, Phoenix, AZ.
Kenneth
K
Komatsu
Illinois Department of Public Health, Springfield, IL.
Matthew
M
Roberts
Michigan Department of Community Health, Lansing, MI.
Jim
J
Collins
Michigan Department of Community Health, Lansing, MI.
Jennifer
J
Beggs
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO.
George
G
Turabelidze
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, NE.
Tom
T
Safranek
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC.
Jean-Marie
JM
Maillard
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Columbia, SC.
Linda J
LJ
Bell
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Columbia, SC.
David
D
Young
Washington State Department of Health, Communicable Disease Epidemiology, Shoreline, WA.
Nicola
N
Marsden-Haug
Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, WI.
Rachel F
RF
Klos
University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Chicago, IL.
Mark S
MS
Dworkin
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012621:Seasons; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult