Trends in incidence and epidemiological characteristics of campylobacteriosis, Israel, 2013 to 2022

BACKGROUND<i>Campylobacter</i> is one of the leading causes of gastrointestinal disease.AIMWe aimed to investigate trends in the incidence rate of campylobacteriosis in Israel.METHODSWe collected data on laboratory-confirmed cases of campylobacteriosis reported to the Israel Sentinel Laboratory-Based Surveillance Network (ISLBSN) in 2013-2022. Trends in the incidence rates of campylobacteriosis were evaluated using the Joinpoint software to calculate annual percent change (APC) and by time series analysis auto-regressive integrated moving average model.RESULTSBetween 2013 and 2022, 43,334 cases of campylobacteriosis were reported to the ISLBSN. The highest incidence rate of campylobacteriosis was observed in children aged 0-4 years (327.8/100,000) and overall, the incidence rate was higher among Jews and others (98.7/100,000) than among Arabs (85.9/100,000). However, the incidence rate among Arabs aged 0-4 years was higher (546.3/100,000) than among Jews and others (316.9/100,000). The incidence rate decreased significantly from 101.7 per 100,000 in 2013 to 79.4 per 100,000 in 2020 (APC = -2.7%) and then increased to 109.5 per 100,000 in 2022 (APC = 13.9%). We identified consistent peaks in incidence rate in April-May, specifically among Jews and others, with no corresponding increase among Arabs. Passover weeks were associated with a significantly higher risk of campylobacteriosis (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.23; p < 0.0001) compared with non-Passover weeks.CONCLUSIONCampylobacteriosis incidence rate in Israel is high, particularly among young children. Collaboration between veterinary and public health authorities and timely public awareness campaigns, especially before holidays, are essential to reduce zoonotic transmission and prevent future peaks.