Risk factors for sporadic Campylobacter jejuni infections in children in a Greek region

Abstract

A case-control study was conducted in the urban area of Attica, Greece to investigate risk factors for sporadic Campylobacter jejuni infections in children aged <15 years. Over a 2-year period, 205 cases and 205 controls, matched by age group (<1, 1-4, 5-9, 10-14 years) and gender, were selected from the registries of the paediatric hospitals of this area. In conditional multivariate logistic regression analysis, ethnicity [odds ratio (OR) 506, 95% confidence interval (CI) 249-1028], consumption of chicken the week prior to disease onset (OR 197, 95% CI 110-355) and playing in the garden (OR 183, 95% CI 105-319) were independently associated with disease occurrence; consumption of raw vegetables was a protective factor (OR 048, 95% CI 027-085). © 2010 Cambridge University Press.