Volume 7, Number 6—December 2001
Dispatch
Contact with Farming Environment as a Major Risk Factor for Shiga Toxin (Vero Cytotoxin)-Producing Escherichia coli O157 Infection in Humans
Table
Risk factors for sporadic cases of Vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 infection in England: logistic regression analysis
Variablea | Adjusted odds ratio | 95% CI | p value | No. (%) patients exposed in single-risk variable analysis | No. (%) controls exposed in single-risk variable analysis |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rare chicken | 5.13 | 1.44, 18.26 | 0.009 | 16 (4.7) | 6 (1.3) |
Purchasing food from a market stall | 2.93 | 1.22, 7.07 | 0.02 | 25 (7) | 17 (3.6) |
Watercress | 2.61 | 1.24, 5.47 | 0.01 | 29 (8.9) | 23 (4.9) |
Farm contact | 2.45 | 1.49, 4.02 | 0.0004 | 87 (23.6) | 62 (12.9) |
Travel (nights away from home) | 2.23 | 1.35, 3.71 | 0.002 | 100 (27.3) | 53 (11.2) |
Paddling (wading) | 2.13 | 1.04, 4.35 | 0.04 | 40 (11.2) | 24 (5.1) |
Peaches | 2.08 | 1.17, 3.72 | 0.01 | 53 (15.8) | 37 (7.9) |
Drank pasteurized milk | 0.66 | 0.43, 1.01 | 0.06 | 240 (68.2) | 351 (74.4) |
Bought frozen meat | 0.63 | 0.43, 0.95 | 0.03 | 225 (62.5) | 345 (73.6) |
Ate butter | 0.56 | 0.38, 0.82 | 0.003 | 175 (48.9) | 278 (59.1) |
Consumed cream | 0.43 | 0.26, 0.7 | 0.0005 | 61 (16.9) | 133 (28.5) |
aThis model was adjusted for season, age group, and gender and was based on 607 (80%) of the observations (losses due to missing data for one or more of the explanatory variables).
CI = confidence intervals.