A meta-analysis of case-control studies examining sporadic campylobacteriosis in Australia and New Zealand from 1990 to 2016

Varrone, L. and Glass, K. and Stafford, R. J. and Kirk, M. D. and Selvey, L.

Aust N Z J Public Health (2020) 44: 313–319

DOI: 10.1111/1753-6405.12998

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a meta-analysis of case-control studies to identify locally relevant risk factors for sporadic campylobacteriosis in Australia and New Zealand. METHODS: We searched Medline, Web of Science, ProQuest and Google Scholar using PRISMA guidelines. Reference lists and grey literature were hand-searched. Meta-analyses were conducted in the R package ’metafor’ using published odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: We identified 325 articles, from which we included 10 that described case-control studies. Four risk factors were statistically significant in the meta-analysis: eating undercooked poultry (OR=4.28, 95%CI 3.09-5.93); eating poultry cooked outside the home (OR=2.13, 95%CI 1.66-2.72); having pet chickens (OR=3.29, 95%CI 2.12-5.10); and overseas travel (OR=5.55, 95%CI 3.20-9.63). Among children, having pet dogs showed elevated but not significant risk (OR=1.57, 95%CI 0.99-2.49). CONCLUSIONS: We identified consumption of chicken meat and contact with domestic chickens as important risk factors for campylobacteriosis in Australia and New Zealand. Implications for public health: While consumption of chicken meat is a well-known risk factor for campylobacteriosis, zoonotic transmission is often overlooked. This research indicates a greater need for public health awareness surrounding zoonotic campylobacteriosis, especially for young children.

Citation

Varrone, L., Glass, K., Stafford, R. J., Kirk, M. D., & Selvey, L. (2020). A meta-analysis of case-control studies examining sporadic campylobacteriosis in Australia and New Zealand from 1990 to 2016. Aust N Z J Public Health, 44(4), 313–319. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12998 Animals, Humans, Case-Control Studies, Australia, meta-analysis, campylobacteriosis, Australia/epidemiology, Campylobacter Infections/*epidemiology/microbiology/transmission/veterinary, Chickens/*microbiology, Disease Reservoirs/*microbiology, Foodborne Diseases/epidemiology/*microbiology, New Zealand, New Zealand/epidemiology

Keywords

• Animals
• Humans
• Case-Control Studies
• Australia
• meta-analysis
• campylobacteriosis
• Australia/epidemiology
• Campylobacter Infections/*epidemiology/microbiology/transmission/veterinary
• Chickens/*microbiology
• Disease Reservoirs/*microbiology
• Foodborne Diseases/epidemiology/*microbiology
• New Zealand
• New Zealand/epidemiology