Santé Publiue France (Public Health France) recently published national data on cases of Campylobacter infection for 2022.

Campylobacter is the most common bacterial gastroenteritis in Europe. In France, campylobacteriosis is estimated to be the second most prevalent foodborne illness, causing approximately 26 percent of foodborne illnesses (392,000 cases) in the country in 2022. A majority (85 percent) of Campylobacter infections are attributed to C. jejuni, followed by C. coli and C. fetus.  

France saw a total of 60 outbreaks of Campylobacter infection in 2022, involving 321 patients. Of the 60 total outbreaks, over one-third (22) were linked to poultry consumption. The number of campylobacter outbreaks increased from 2021, which saw more than 50 outbreaks involving 178 cases of infection. The report notes that cases of Campylobacter infection have been rising since 2013, which could be due to improved detection methods.

Summer continues to be the peak for campylobacteriosis in France. The majority of patients were reported to be male, and the number of patients that were children rose in comparison to previous years.

Regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR), high levels of resistance were noted for fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines, although the resistance has remained stable in recent years. There was not an increase in the resistance of Campylobacter to any of the six routinely tested antibiotics (ampicillin, amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid, gentamicin, erythromycin, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolone).