Estimating foodborne gastroenteritis, Australia

Emerg Infect Dis. 2005 Aug;11(8):1257-64. doi: 10.3201/eid1108.041367.

Abstract

We estimated for Australia the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths due to foodborne gastroenteritis in a typical year, circa 2000. The total amount of infectious gastroenteritis was measured by using a national telephone survey. The foodborne proportion was estimated from Australian data on each of 16 pathogens. To account for uncertainty, we used simulation techniques to calculate 95% credibility intervals (CrI). The estimate of incidence of gastroenteritis in Australia is 17.2 million (95% confidence interval 14.5-19.9 million) cases per year. We estimate that 32% (95% CrI 24%-40%) are foodborne, which equals 0.3 (95% CrI 0.2-0.4) episodes per person, or 5.4 million (95% CrI 4.0-6.9 million) cases annually in Australia. Norovirus, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp., and Salmonella spp. cause the most illnesses. In addition, foodborne gastroenteritis causes approximately 15,000 (95% CrI 11,000-18,000) hospitalizations and 80 (95% CrI 40-120) deaths annually. This study highlights global public health concerns about foodborne diseases and the need for standardized methods, including assessment of uncertainty, for international comparison.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Australia / epidemiology
  • Computer Simulation
  • DNA Virus Infections / epidemiology
  • Foodborne Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Foodborne Diseases / microbiology
  • Foodborne Diseases / parasitology
  • Foodborne Diseases / virology
  • Gastroenteritis / epidemiology*
  • Gastroenteritis / microbiology
  • Gastroenteritis / parasitology
  • Gastroenteritis / virology
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / epidemiology
  • Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / epidemiology
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Protozoan Infections / epidemiology
  • Public Health
  • RNA Virus Infections / epidemiology