An outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni infection among conference delegates

Campylobacter infection is one of the most commonly reported foodborne diseases in Australia however, reported Campylobacter outbreaks are rare. This report describes such an outbreak among delegates attending a 10 day international academic meeting in South Australia during May 2001. A retrospective cohort study of the 29 delegates who attended the conference was conducted. A questionnaire was sent by email with a response rate of 93 per cent. Ten cases (onset of diarrhoea while attending the conference) were identified. Two were culture positive for Campylobacter jejuni. There was a significant association between the illness and eating a number of food items from two restaurants however, environmental investigation of the two venues did not identify a definitive source for the outbreak. This investigation demonstrates the usefulness of email in the distribution of questionnaires among specific cohorts.