Pathogen-specific risk of reactive arthritis from bacterial causes of foodborne illness.

OBJECTIVE

Reactive arthritis (ReA) is a sequelae of common bacterial infections of acute gastroenteritis. We assessed incidence of ReA following Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, or Yersinia infection utilizing a U.S. Department of Defense medical database.

METHODS

Subjects with acute gastroenteritis attributed to these pathogens were matched with ≥ 4 unexposed subjects. Medical history was analyzed for 6 months postinfection to assess for incident ReA.

RESULTS

A total of 1753 cases of gastroenteritis were identified. ReA incidence ranged from 0 to 4 per 100,000 person-years.

CONCLUSION

These data are consistent with prior studies and highlight the need for continued primary prevention efforts.