European survey on Campylobacter surveillance and diagnosis 2001

• Published in: Euro surveillance : bulletin européen sur les maladies transmissibles Vol. 8; no. 11; pp. 207 - 213
• Main Authors: Takkinen, J, Ammon, Andrea, Robstad, O, Breuer, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sweden 01-11-2003
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - metabolism; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Campylobacter - classification; Campylobacter - drug effects; Campylobacter - isolation & purification; Campylobacter Infections - classification; Campylobacter Infections - diagnosis; Campylobacter Infections - drug therapy; Campylobacter Infections - epidemiology; Data Collection - methods; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Europe - epidemiology; Feasibility Studies; Health Planning Guidelines; Humans; Laboratories - standards; Microbial Sensitivity Tests - classification; Microbial Sensitivity Tests - methods; Microbial Sensitivity Tests - trends; Population Surveillance - methods; Quality Assurance, Health Care - methods; Quality Assurance, Health Care - standards; Sentinel Surveillance; Surveys and Questionnaires; Europe
• ISSN: 1560-7917; 1560-7917
• DOI: 10.2807/esm.08.11.00430-en

Two surveys have been conducted on behalf of the Campylobacter Working Group with the aim of assessing the feasibility of a European network on human Campylobacter infections. The first survey, conducted in 18 countries, collected information about diagnostic methods used for surveillance purpose while the second one, conducted among 10 European countries, gathered data on diagnostic methods and procedures in primary laboratories. Seventeen of the 18 countries had a surveillance system for Campylobacter infections and 13 a national reference laboratory. The case definition used for the surveillance in all these countries included laboratory confirmation. No commonly applicable subtyping methods were applied. Concerning primary laboratories dealing with Campylobacter infections, only a few of them reported directly to the national level, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by about half of the laboratories. These surveys indicated that a basic infrastructure for a wide European Campylobacter surveillance exists.