Danna L. Moore

Risk Factors for Campylobacteriosis in Two Washington State Counties with High Numbers of Dairy Farms

ABSTRACT Campylobacteriosis is a frequently reported, food-borne, human bacterial disease that can be associated with ruminant reservoirs, although public health messages primarily focus on poultry. In Washington State, the two counties with the highest concentrations of dairy cattle also report the highest incidences of campylobacteriosis. Conditional logistic regression analysis of case-control data from both counties found living or working on a dairy farm (odds ratio [OR], 6.7 [95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7 to 26.4]) and Hispanic ethnicity (OR, 6.4 [95% CI, 3.1 to 13.1]) to have the strongest significant positive associations with campylobacteriosis. When the analysis was restricted to residents of one county, Hispanic ethnicity (OR, 9.3 [95% CI, 3.9 to 22.2]), contact with cattle (OR, 5.0 [95% CI, 1.3 to 19.5]), and pet ownership (OR, 2.6 [95% CI, 1.1 to 6.3]) were found to be independent risk factors for disease. Campylobacter jejuni isolates from human (n = 65), bovine (n = 28), and retail poultry (n = 27) sources from the same counties were compared using multilocus sequence typing. These results indicated that sequence types commonly found in human isolates were also commonly found in bovine isolates. These findings suggest that, in areas with high concentrations of dairy cattle, exposure to dairy cattle may be more important than food-borne exposure to poultry products as a risk for campylobacteriosis.

Small ruminants in western Kenya: producer socioeconomic status in relation to herd health

Abstract A socioeconomic analysis studied: (a) current status of selected animal health problems, (b) health control measures and (c) animal and crop management and socioeconomic factors which influence herd health. Regression analysis indicated that a limited number of variables were related to health status of herds as measured by fecal egg counts. Differences in farming priorities for income generation and variations in animal management practices, such as dipping frequency were significant variables in explaining health of the herds. Crop management factors were not significant in the analysis of small ruminant health in Kenya.