Second Study of Infectious Intestinal Disease in the United Kingdom, 2008-2009

The purpose of <i> Second Study of Infectious Intestinal Disease in the United Kingdom, 2008-2009</i> (IID2) was primarily to find out the incidence of infectious intestinal disease (IID) in the UK, what microorganisms cause it and to find out if the situation had changed since a similar study conducted in England in the mid-1990s by the Food Standards Agency: <i>Study of Infectious Intestinal Disease in England, 1993-1996</i> (available from the UK Data Archive under SN 4092). A secondary aim was to compare official statistics with the 'true' level of IID experienced by people in the community. <br> <br> IID2 involved seven separate but related studies:<ol><li>a Prospective Population-Based Cohort Study, recruiting people from 88 General Practices across the UK</li><li>a General Practice (GP) Presentation Study which involved obtaining samples for laboratory testing from everyone who consulted their healthcare team with symptoms of diarrhoea and/or vomiting in 37 practices across the UK</li><li>a GP Validation Study, auditing the recruitment of the 37 practices in the GP Presentation Study</li><li>a GP Enumeration Study, involving 40 practices in which Study Nurses searched practice records for patients presenting with an episode of IID</li><li>a Microbiology Study whereby stool samples from the Cohort and GP Presentation Studies were examined using state-of-the-art laboratory practices</li><li>a National Reporting Study to compare the incidence estimates from the other studies with those generated from national surveillance</li><li>a retrospective Telephone Survey of self-reported illness</li></ol>The results from these studies were used to generate estimates of the burden of IID in the community and presenting to General Practice in the UK and to identify the microorganisms responsible for causing IID where possible. Using results from the different elements of the study it was also possible to work out the extent to which the 'true' burden of IID in the community is reflected in national surveillance statistics.<br> <br> Further information is available from the <a class="external" href="http://www.gutfeelings.org.uk/" title="Gut Feelings">Gut Feelings</a> project website and the <a class="external" href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/foodborneillness/b14programme/b14projlist/b18021#.Ufpdw9LvtrM" title="Food Standards Agency">Food Standards Agency</a> project webpage.<br> <br>