SAN DIEGO — Cases of Campylobacter infections in the United States declined by an average of 30% between 1996 and 2006, according to an epidemiologist from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, the incidence remains highest among children under 5 years of age, and males have a higher incidence compared with females in all age groups except ages 20–29 years.
Those are key findings from an analysis of data from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), which began tracking Campylobacter infections in 1996, reported the CDC's Mary E. Patrick during a poster session at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The FoodNet project is a partnership involving the CDC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Food Safety Inspection Service, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and designated FoodNet sites in 10 states.
Ms. Patrick and her associates calculated gender- and age-specific incidence rates of Campylobacter infections that were reported by FoodNet sites between 1996 and 2006, and compared the changes in rates over the time period.
In 2006, the rates of Campylobacter infections were higher among males (14 per 100,000 persons) than among females (11 per 100,000 persons). The overall crude rate of laboratory-confirmed Campylobacter infections in 2006 was 13 per 100,000 U.S. residents. From baseline to 2006, the incidence declined 30% overall.
The largest decline by age group, 47%, was observed in adults aged 20–29 years, followed by children less than 1 year of age at 41%, adults aged 30–39 years at 40%, and children aged 1–4 years at 30%, reported Ms. Patrick.
Among infants less than 1 year of age, the rate of Campylobacter infections in 2006 was 37 per 100,000 persons and the rate among children aged 1–4 years was 23 per 100,000 persons. These rates were significantly higher compared with any other age group. In fact, the lowest 2006 rate, 7 per 100,000 persons, was found not among adults but in children and adolescents aged 10–14 years.
“Obviously infants are not consuming the main sources of Campylobacter such as chicken,” Ms. Patrick said in an interview. “We're thinking that there is a lot of cross-contamination from sources such as raw chicken juices in the kitchen. You can reduce the risk of cross-contamination by separating raw and cooked products, and making sure that you wash your hands, utensils, and cutting boards before and after contact with raw poultry.”
The 10 states with FoodNet sites are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee.