The seasonal distribution of campylobacter infection in nine European countries and New Zealand

Abstract

In all temperate countries campylobacter infection in humans follows a striking seasonal pattern, but little attention has been given to exploring the epidemiological explanations. In order to better characterize the seasonal patterns, data from nine European countries and New Zealand have been examined. Several European countries with weekly data available showed remarkably consistent seasonal patterns from year to year, with peaks in week 22 in Wales, week 26 in Scotland, week 32 in Denmark, week 30 in Finland and week 33 in Sweden. In Europe, the seasonal peak was most prominent in Finland and least prominent in Scotland and Austria. In New Zealand the seasonality was less consistent since the peak was more prolonged. Possible explanations for the seasonal peaks are discussed. Research into the causes of campylobacter seasonality should help considerably in elucidating the sources of human infection.

Human and Animal Thermophilic Campylobacter infections in East African countries: Epidemiology and Antibiogram

“…Evidence of seasonal peaks in human Campylobacter infection has been observed in several European countries [103][104][105][106][107]. Several other investigations have reported seasonality of Campylobacter colonization in poultry with peaks observed in the summer [108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115].…”

Temperature dependence of reportedCampylobacterinfection in England, 1989–1999

“…A spring/ summer peak in reported cases is typical. The exact timing of the peak varies between countries but displays remarkable consistency from year to year [12] ; in England and Wales, it occurs in late May/early June. The factors underlying this seasonality are unknown.…”

Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) and Whole-Genome MLST of Campylobacter jejuni Isolates from Human Infections in Three Districts during a Seasonal Peak in Finland

“…Most infections are sporadic and associated with foreign traveling. In areas with a colder climate, like Northern Europe, a distinct peak in the frequency of Campylobacter infections occurs during the summer months, from June to August (2,3). The seasonal peak is probably associated with summer activities, including increased outdoor exposures like contacts with animals and soil, barbecuing, consumption of water from private wells, and swimming in natural waters (4,5).…”