Headlines - Report on the Surveillance of Campylobacter Infections in Humans in France in 2012

The objectives of the surveillance conducted by the National Reference Center (NRC) for Campylobacter and Helicobacter are to: describe the epidemiological characteristics of Campylobacter infections occurring in humans in France; track temporal and spatial trends in incidence; describe the species involved; detect clusters of cases; and monitor antibiotic resistance. In 2012, the CNR received 5,079 strains, representing an 8% decrease since 2011. Among those for which the species was identified (4,728 strains), C. jejuni (82%) was the most common species, followed by C. coli (15%) and C. fetus (2%). Among strains isolated from stool samples (98% of strains), C. jejuni was predominant (83%), whereas C. fetus accounted for 69% of strains isolated from blood cultures (2% of strains). The increasing resistance of Campylobacter to quinolones, observed since 2004, continues: 55% vs. 53% in 2011 for nalidixic acid, and 52% vs. 51% in 2011 for ciprofloxacin. The median age of infected individuals was 22 years, and 32% of the strains were isolated from children aged 10 years or younger (13% of the estimated general population in 2012). In 2012, surveillance of Campylobacter infections confirmed the epidemiological characteristics observed since 2002: a seasonal peak during the summer; a higher number of cases among children; a predominance of male cases except among young women; a predominance of the C. jejuni species; and high and increasing resistance to quinolones. The decline in the number of strains (the first since 2005 compared to 2011) most likely corresponds to a surveillance bias rather than a true decrease in the incidence of Campylobacter infections. In July 2013, the CIRÉ investigated a suspected cluster of Campylobacter infections in Franche-Comté.