Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial foodborne infection in humans in developed countries (WHO, 2012). The ubiquity of Campylobacter, as part of the commensal microbiota of various animals, contributes to the threat this organism poses to humans. Campylobacter jejuniis commonly isolated from the digestive tract of many mammals and wild and domestic birds. However, factors including the ability to form biofilms (Pascoe et al., 2015) and colonize protozoa (Snelling et al., 2006), mean that Campylobacter can be isolated from sources outside of the host gut, such as food and water sources (Sheppard et al., 2009; Guyard-Nicodème et al., 2015). Humans are usually infected by handling, preparation, or consumption of meat, including pork, beef, and especially poultry,  contaminated during slaughter  (Guyard-Nicodème et al., 2013). The consumption of raw milk, untreated water, or contact with pets and farm animals have also been identified as potential sources for human infection (Friedman et al., 2004; Olson et al., 2008; Pitkanen, 2013). Quantifying the relative contribution of different infection sources remains an important aim in public health. Bacterial typing methods, including PFGE, MLST, flaSVR, have improved diagnosis and understanding of Campylobacter epidemiology. However, questions still remain about the relative contribution of different infection sources and transmission routes to human disease. Foodborne source attribution is the partitioning of the human disease burden of one or more foodborne infections to specific sources, where the term “source” includes animal reservoirs and vehicles (e.g., foods) (Pires et al., 2009).

The current proposal will point out the source attribution of campylobacteriosis. In introduction, an update on regulatory perspectives on Campylobacter in Europe will be covered. Thereafter, the session will combine different approaches of source attribution: Genome-Wide Association Study, Comparative Exposure Assessment and Case-Control study.

Presentations