Descriptive epidemiology of infectious gastrointestinal illnesses in Sydney, Australia, 2007–2010

Authors

  • Stephanie Fletcher South Western Sydney Local Health District
  • David Sibbritt Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  • Damien Stark Division of Microbiology, SydPath; St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney; 390 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, and The iThree Institute and School of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology, Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, , Australia
  • John Harkness Division of Microbiology, SydPath; St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney; 390 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, and The iThree Institute and School of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology, Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, , Australia
  • William Rawlinson Microbiology Department, South Eastern Area Laboratory Service (SEALS), Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW and School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Randwick NSW 2031, Australia.
  • David Andresen Department of Microbiology, Children’s Hospital at Westmead, 178 Hawkesbury Road Westmead NSW 2145
  • Sebastian Van Hal Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
  • Juan Merif Microbiology Department, South Eastern Area Laboratory Service (SEALS), Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
  • John Ellis The iThree Institute and School of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5365/wpsar.v6i4.345

Abstract

Objective: the aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of infectious gastrointestinal illnesses in Sydney.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional survey of laboratory and clinical records for patients seen at four tertiary public hospitals in Sydney, (January 2007 to December 2010) was conducted.

Results: Only cases presenting with loose stools or diarrhoea (1722) were included in this study. Campylobacter and Clostridium difficile (19.3%) were the most frequently detected (22.0%) pathogens. Rotavirus (22.4%), norovirus (19.6%), and adenovirus (17.5%) mainly affected children 0-5 years old; Campylobacter (57.5%) and Salmonella spp, (51.9%) affected those age 6-59 years old (P < 0.01); while C. difficile (57.3%) was frequently diagnosed in persons ?60 years. The risk of C. difficile infection increased with prolonged antibiotic therapy (OR=6.3; 95%CI: 3.2-12.2), recent surgery (OR=2.2; 95%CI: 1.1-4.6), and chronic GIT illness (OR=2.4; 95%CI: 1.1-5.3). Incidence of Shigella spp infections increased in men who have sex with men (MSM) (OR=5.0; 95%CI: 1.6-16.0) and those with HIV infected (OR=3.3; 95%CI: 1.0-10.9).

Discussion: This large multi-site hospital based study reveals that gastrointestinal illness remains a major public health issue in Sydney, and requires improvement of current disease surveillance, prevention and control measures. It emphasises the importance of laboratory diagnosis of enteric infections and the need for better clinical data collection to improve management of disease risk factors in the community.

Author Biography

Stephanie Fletcher, South Western Sydney Local Health District

Public Health (Biopreparedness) Epidemiologist

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Published

2015-10-06

Issue

No. 4 (2015): October – December

Section

Original Research

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