C.coli is a significant cause of foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide, with the majority of cases attributed to C.jejuni. Although most clinical laboratories do not typically conduct antimicrobial susceptibility testing for C.coli, the rise in resistant strains has underscored the necessity for such testing and epidemiological surveillance. The current study presents clinical isolate characteristics and demographics of 221 patients with C.coli (coli and jejuni) infections in Northern Israel, between 2015 and 2021. Clinical and demographic data were collected from patient medical records. Susceptibility to erythromycin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and gentamicin was assessed using the standard E-test. No significant correlations were found between bacterial species and patient ethnicity, patient gender, or duration of hospitalization. In contrast, significant differences were found between infecting species and patient age and age subgroup (P < 0.001). Furthermore, erythromycin resistance was observed in only 0.5% of the study population, while resistance to ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and gentamicin was observed in 95%, 93%, and 2.3% of the population, respectively. The presented study underscores the need for routine surveillance of C.coli antibiotic resistance.

Campylobacteriosis, the most frequent bacterial enteric disease, shows a clear yet unexplained seasonality. The study purpose was to explore the influence of seasonal fluctuation in the contamination of and in the behaviour exposures to two important sources of Campylobacter on the seasonality of campylobacteriosis. Time series analyses were applied to data collected through an integrated surveillance system in Canada in 2005–2010. Data included sporadic, domestically-acquired cases of Campylobacter jejuni infection, contamination of retail chicken meat and of surface water by C. jejuni, and exposure to each source through barbequing and swimming in natural waters. Seasonal patterns were evident for all variables with a peak in summer for human cases and for both exposures, in fall for chicken meat contamination, and in late fall for water contamination. Time series analyses showed that the observed campylobacteriosis summer peak could only be significantly linked to behaviour exposures rather than sources contamination (swimming rather than water contamination and barbequing rather than chicken meat contamination). The results indicate that the observed summer increase in human cases may be more the result of amplification through more frequent risky exposures rather than the result of an increase of the Campylobacter source contamination.

Rising numbers of campylobacteriosis case notifications in Switzerland resulted in an increased attention to acute gastroenteritis (AG) in general. Patients with a laboratory-confirmed Campylobacter infection perceive their disease as severe and around 15% of these patients are hospitalized. This study aimed at estimating healthcare costs due to AG and campylobacteriosis in Switzerland. We used official health statistics, data from different studies and expert opinion for estimating individual treatment costs for patients with different illness severity and for extrapolating overall costs due to AG and campylobacteriosis. We estimated that total Swiss healthcare costs resulting from these diseases amount to €29–45 million annually. Data suggest that patients with AG consulting a physician without a stool diagnostic test account for €9·0–24·2 million, patients with a negative stool test result for Campylobacter spp. for €12·3 million, patients testing positive for Campylobacter spp. for €1·8 million and hospitalized campylobacteriosis patients for €6·5 million/year. Healthcare costs of campylobacteriosis are high and most likely increasing in Switzerland considering that campylobacteriosis case notifications steadily increased in the past decade. Costs and potential cost savings for the healthcare system should be considered when designing sectorial and cross-sectorial interventions to reduce the burden of human campylobacteriosis in Switzerland.

A 9-year time-series of genotyped human campylobacteriosis cases from the Manawatu region of New Zealand was used to investigate strain-type seasonality. The data were collected from 2005 to 2013 and the samples were multi-locus sequence-typed (MLST). The four most prevalent clonal complexes (CCs), consisting of 1215 isolates, were CC48, CC21, CC45 and CC61. Seasonal decomposition and Poisson regression with autocorrelated errors, were used to display and test for seasonality of the most prevalent CCs. Of the four examined CCs, only CC45 showed a marked seasonal (summer) peak. The association of CC45 with summer peaks has been observed in other temperate countries, but has previously not been identified in New Zealand. This is the first in-depth study over a long time period employing MLST data to examine strain-type-associated seasonal patterns of C. jejuni infection in New Zealand.

Campylobacteriosis is the most frequent zoonotic disease in humans worldwide. Poultry meat contaminated by Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) is an important source of this enteric zoonosis. Broiler chickens are the common natural host for this pathogen and infected birds carry a very high Campylobacter load in their gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, intervention at the farm level by reducing pathogen colonisation should be taken into consideration in any control policy. In addition, hygienic measures at the farm and control measures during carcass processing can reduce Campylobacter numbers on the retail product. It is important to differentiate between prevention and colonisation-reducing measures, which intervene at a different stage of the infection process. Several approaches have been conducted to reduce the number of Campylobacter in poultry, such as vaccination, passive immunisation, bacteriophages, bacteriocins, organic acids or their derivatives and medium chain of fatty acids, all with varying degrees of success. Nonetheless, to date there is no reliable and practical intervention measure available to reduce colonisation of the broiler gut with Campylobacter. A possible way to reduce Campylobacter contamination in poultry is to develop new strategies at the primary production level. As a consequence, it has become necessary to develop alternatives such as beneficial microorganisms (probiotics). The use of probiotics can help to improve the natural defence of animals against pathogenic bacteria and is an effective approach for livestock to reduce bacterial contamination. This review summarises current on-farm control options to reduce the prevalence and colonisation of Campylobacter in poultry. The interaction between poultry welfare and Campylobacter colonisation is also discussed.

Campylobacteriosis is a leading cause of acute bacterial gastroenteritis. An ecological study was undertaken to explore the association between environmental characteristics and incidence of campylobacteriosis in relation to four age groups and two seasonal periods. A multi-level Poisson regression model was used for modelling at the municipal level. High ruminant density was positively associated with incidence of campylobacteriosis, with a reduced effect as people become older. High poultry density and presence of a large poultry slaughterhouse were also associated with higher incidence, but only for people aged 16–34 years. The effect of ruminant density, poultry density, and slaughterhouses were constant across seasonal periods. Other associations were detected with population density and average daily precipitation. Close contacts with farm animals are probably involved in the associations observed. The specificity of age and season on this important disease must be considered in further studies and in the design of preventive measures.

In New Zealand Campylobacter infection rates have increased steadily since 1980, reaching a peak in 2003 (396/100 000 population). Compared to other nations, disease rates are unfavourably high (e.g. Australia 117/100 000 population, UK 85/100 000 population, USA 13/100 000 population). This ecological study investigated spatial variations in Campylobacter infection rates across New Zealand's Territorial Local Authorities (TLAs, n=73) for the period 1997–2005. Applying multiple linear regression, we examined whether geographical factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, climate, land use, water and the food environment were associated with local differences in the occurrence of Campylobacter infection rates. The results suggested significant variations in campylobacteriosis across TLAs (average annual rates ranging from 97 to 526/100 000 population), with higher rates in the South Island. Disease rates were associated with lower socio-economic deprivation (P<0·01), the proportion of the population aged 25–44 years (P<0·01) and fresh food outlet density (P<0·76). The results underline the role of area-level characteristics in explaining the spatial distribution of campylobacteriosis in New Zealand. In particular, the findings draw attention to the relatively unexplored role of fresh food outlets as a potential risk factor for increased Campylobacter notifications.

Thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. have been the most common bacterial cause of human gastrointestinal disease in Denmark since 1999. In 2003, the Danish voluntary strategy to control Campylobacter was intensified. The focus was on biosecurity, allocation of meat from Campylobacter-negative broilers to the production of chilled products, and consumer information campaigns. From 2002 to 2007, the percentage of Campylobacter-positive broiler flocks at slaughter decreased from 43% to 27%. After processing, Campylobacter-positive samples of chilled broiler meat fell from 18% in 2004 to 8% in 2007. Furthermore, the number of registered human Campylobacter cases decreased by 12%; from 4379 cases in 2002 to 3865 cases in 2007. We believe that the observed decrease in the occurrence of Campylobacter in broilers and broiler meat and the coincidental fall in the number of registered human cases is, in part, a result of the implemented control strategy.