Increased Incidence of Campylobacter spp. Infection and High Rates among Children, Israel

Miriam Weinberger

, Larisa Lerner, Lea Valinsky, Jacob Moran-Gilad, Israel Nissan, Vered Agmon, and Chava Peretz

Author affiliations: Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel (M. Weinberger); Tel Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel (M. Weinberger, C. Peretz); Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel (L. Lerman, L. Valinsky, I. Nissan, V. Agmon); Israel Ministry of Health Public Health Services, Jerusalem (J. Moran-Gilad)

Abstract

During 1999–2010, the annual incidence of Campylobacter spp. infection in Israel increased from 31.04 to 90.99 cases/100,000 population, a yearly increase of 10.24%. Children < 2 years of age were disproportionally affected; incidence in this age group (356.12 cases/100,000 population) was >26-fold higher than for the 30–< 50 age group.

Campylobacter spp. have become the leading cause of foodborne infections in many industrialized countries, despite extensive control efforts (1). Recent studies suggest that Campylobacter spp. infection in Israel may also be on the rise (2), in contrast to a substantial decrease in the incidence of Salmonella spp. infection, from 86.9 cases/100,000 population in 1995 to 44.0 cases/100,000 population in 2009 (3). We examined recent trends of Campylobacter spp. infection in Israel, with a focus on age- and sex-specific rates of infection.