Travel, rare chicken, environmental exposure may raise Campylobacter risk

Epidemiology and Infection, First-view abstract

Factors that increase the risk of Campylobacter infection include traveling abroad, eating undercooked chicken, environmental exposure such as drinking water, and direct contact with farm animals, according to a meta-analysis in Epidemiology and Infection. Danish investigators identified 38 case-control studies of sporadic campylobacteriosis, conducted between 1983 and 2004 in 14 countries on three continents, that met their quality criteria. They found odds ratios (ORs) to be highest for the following risk factors: travel (4.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.93-8.23), eating undercooked chicken (3.42; 95% CI, 2.16-5.42), exposure to bird droppings (3.24; 95% CI, 1.97-5.34), direct contact with farm animals (2.62; 95% CI, 2.02-3.40), drinking untreated water (2.40; 95% CI, 1.76-3.26), consuming unpasteurized dairy products (2.29; 95% CI, 1.69-3.09), and eating restaurant chicken (2.06; 95% CI, 1.86-2.27). The team found contact with farm animals to be an especially important factor in children.

Taken from CIDRAP News, January 3, 2012

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8467652

• NCCID Projects

  Explore Our Body of Work

• Publications

  View our Online Publicaation Archive

• Facts & Figures

  Stats, Guidelines & Research in our Project Areas

• Infectious Disease News

  The Latest National and International News