Research

Spatial analysis of campylobacter infection in the Canadian province of Manitoba

Chris G Green^1,2* , Dennis O Krause^3,4* and John L Wylie^4,5*

¹  Public Health Branch, Manitoba Health, Room 4050, 300 Carlton St., Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 3M9, Canada

²  Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, S111 - 750 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 0W3, Canada

³  Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada

⁴  Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, 750 Bannatyne Ave., Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E0W3, Canada

⁵  Cadham Provincial Laboratory, Manitoba Health, 750 William Ave., Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 3J7, Canada

author email corresponding author email* Contributed equally

International Journal of Health Geographics 2006, 5:2doi:10.1186/1476-072X-5-2

Published:	16 January 2006

Abstract

Background

The study describes population level variations in campylobacter incidence within the Canadian province of Manitoba, and the relationship to sociodemographic and landscape related characteristics. Using data derived from the Manitoba Health Public Health Branch communicable disease surveillance database, the study applied a number of spatial and ecological techniques to visualize, explore and model campylobacter incidence for the years 1996 to 2004. Analytical techniques used in the study included spatial smoothing, the spatial scan statistic, the Gini coefficient, and Poisson regression analysis.

Results

The study demonstrated marked and statistically significant geographic variability in the rates of campylobacter incidence in Manitoba.. The incidence of campylobacter was observed to be significantly higher in populations living in rural and agricultural areas of the province, with the highest rates occurring in populations living in proximity to high densities of farm animals (cows, pigs, chickens). The study also observed that the age specific pattern of campylobacter incidence in rural Manitoba was very different than the urban pattern, with the incidence rate in the 0–4 year age group seven times higher in rural Manitoba than in the City of Winnipeg.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates the value of a deploying a diverse set of spatial techniques to better understand the dynamics of an enteric disease such as campylobacter infection. The study concludes that there may be three distinct mechanisms for the transmission of campylobacter in Manitoba which are operating simultaneously. These include broad population exposure to a centralized food system endemically infected with the campylobacter organism, exposure to local level factors such as farm animals or contaminated water, and exposure to campylobacter infection through foreign travel.