An outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni infection among conference delegates

Commun Dis Intell Q Rep. 2003;27(3):380-3.

Abstract

Campylobacter infection is one of the most commonly reported foodborne diseases in Australia however, reported Campylobacter outbreaks are rare. This report describes such an outbreak among delegates attending a 10 day international academic meeting in South Australia during May 2001. A retrospective cohort study of the 29 delegates who attended the conference was conducted. A questionnaire was sent by email with a response rate of 93 per cent. Ten cases (onset of diarrhoea while attending the conference) were identified. Two were culture positive for Campylobacter jejuni. There was a significant association between the illness and eating a number of food items from two restaurants however, environmental investigation of the two venues did not identify a definitive source for the outbreak. This investigation demonstrates the usefulness of email in the distribution of questionnaires among specific cohorts.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Campylobacter Infections / complications
  • Campylobacter Infections / epidemiology*
  • Campylobacter jejuni / isolation & purification*
  • Cohort Studies
  • Congresses as Topic
  • Diarrhea / etiology
  • Diarrhea / microbiology
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Female
  • Food Microbiology
  • Humans
  • Internet
  • Male
  • Medical Records
  • Middle Aged
  • Retrospective Studies
  • South Australia / epidemiology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires*