Reported gastrointestinal infections in the U.S. Air Force, 2000-2012

During 2000-2012, U.S. Air Force Public Health Offices reported 3,429 cases of gastrointestinal infection (GI) diagnosed at Air Force medical treatment facilities. The four most commonly reported specific etiologies of GIs accounted for 86.7% of all GI cases (n=2,972). Salmonellosis accounted for 41.4% (n=1,420) of all cases. The next most commonly reported events were associated with Campylobacter infection, shigellosis, and giardiasis. The majority of GI cases were reported among dependents, most notably among those aged 0-5 years. Campylobacter infections represented a significantly larger proportion of GI reported from locations outside the continental United States (OCONUS) (n=222, 33.7%) compared to continental U.S. (CONUS) locations (n=363, 13.1%). CONUS locations reported higher proportions of salmonellosis, shigellosis, and giardiasis infections compared to OCONUS locations. Annual numbers of reported cases of GI peaked in 2002, declined to much lower numbers during 2004-2007, and then began to climb until the end of the surveillance period.