Campylobacter enteritis--a college campus average incidence and a prospective study of the risk factors for exposure

Abstract

In a prospective study over two years at a university student health center, the average incidence for Campylobacter enteritis was 4.5 cases per 1,000 students for a nine-month academic year. Male students were more likely to submit a stool specimen for examination and were more likely to have Campylobacter enteritis. Campylobacter enteritis was ten times more common than Salmonella and Shigella enteritis combined. The only identifiable increased risk for Campylobacter enteritis developing among patients with acute diarrheal illness was the recent ingestion of barbecued chicken.