University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences, Cruickshank Building, Aberdeen, UK.
Epidemiol Infect. 2013 Jun;141(6):1267-75. doi: 10.1017/S0950268812002063. Epub 2012 Sep 19.
Human campylobacteriosis exhibits a distinctive seasonality in temperate regions. This paper aims to identify the origins of this seasonality. Clinical isolates [typed by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST)] and epidemiological data were collected from Scotland. Young rural children were found to have an increased burden of disease in the late spring due to strains of non-chicken origin (e.g. ruminant and wild bird strains from environmental sources). In contrast the adult population had an extended summer peak associated with chicken strains. Travel abroad and UK mainland travel were associated with up to 17% and 18% of cases, respectively. International strains were associated with chicken, had a higher diversity than indigenous strains and a different spectrum of MLST types representative of these countries. Integrating empirical epidemiology and molecular subtyping can successfully elucidate the seasonal components of human campylobacteriosis. The findings will enable public health officials to focus strategies to reduce the disease burden.
人弯曲菌病在温带地区表现出明显的季节性。本文旨在确定这种季节性的起源。从苏格兰收集了临床分离株（通过多位点序列分型 (MLST) 分型）和流行病学数据。由于非鸡源菌株（例如来自环境源的反刍动物和野生鸟类菌株），农村的年轻儿童在春末的疾病负担增加。相比之下，成年人群与鸡源菌株相关的夏季高峰延长。出国旅行和英国大陆旅行分别与高达 17%和 18%的病例有关。国际菌株与鸡有关，其多样性高于本土菌株，并且具有不同的 MLST 类型谱，代表了这些国家。将经验流行病学和分子亚型分析相结合，可以成功阐明人类弯曲菌病的季节性成分。这些发现将使公共卫生官员能够集中精力制定策略来减轻疾病负担。
