Fresh Chicken as Main Risk Factor for Campylobacteriosis, Denmark

• Main Authors: Anne Wingstrand, Jakob Neimann, Jørgen Engberg, Eva Møller Nielsen, Peter Gerner-Smidt, Henrik C. Wegener, Kåre Mølbak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2006-02-01
• Series: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Subjects: Campylobacter; risk factors; case-control; Denmark; research
• Online Access: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/2/05-0936_article

We report the findings of a case-control study of risk factors for sporadic cases of human campylobacteriosis in Denmark. In 3 different analytical models, the main domestic risk factor identified was eating fresh, unfrozen chicken. Specifically, 28 of 74 domestically acquired case-patients were exposed to fresh chicken compared with 21 of 114 controls (multivariate matched odds ratio 5.8; 95% confidence interval 2.1–15.9). In contrast, a risk from eating other poultry, including previously frozen chicken, was only indicated from borderline significant 2-factor interactions. The marked increase in consumption of fresh, unfrozen poultry in Denmark during the 1990s likely contributed substantially to the increasing incidence of human campylobacteriosis in this period.