Table 1.
General characteristics of the V. vulnificus cases (N = 383).
| Characteristics | Classification | N | (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||
| Male | 329 | (85.9) | |
| Female | 54 | (14.1) | |
| Age (years) | |||
| ≤39 | 13 | (3.4) | |
| 40–64 | 269 | (70.2) | |
| ≥65 | 101 | (26.4) | |
| Occupation (N = 351) | |||
| Fishery and fishery product related workers | 35 | (10.0) | |
| Agriculture | 65 | (18.5) | |
| White-collar workers, professional | 18 | (5.1) | |
| Service, distribution industry, self-employed | 32 | (9.1) | |
| Blue-collar workers * | 44 | (12.6) | |
| Housewife, unemployed | 157 | (44.7) | |
| Drinking (N = 304) | |||
| Yes | 257 | (84.5) | |
| No | 7 | (2.3) | |
| Unknown | 40 | (13.2) | |
| Smoking (N = 223) | |||
| Yes | 128 | (57.4) | |
| No | 20 | (9.0) | |
| Unknown | 75 | (33.6) | |
| Underlying diseases (N = 352) | |||
| Yes | 340 | (96.6) | |
| No | 8 | (2.3) | |
| Unknown | 4 | (1.1) | |
| V. vulnificus cases by year | |||
| 2003 | 42 | (11.0) | |
| 2004 | 29 | (7.6) | |
| 2005 | 30 | (7.8) | |
| 2006 | 44 | (11.5) | |
| 2007 | 26 | (6.8) | |
| 2008 | 16 | (4.2) | |
| 2009 | 8 | (2.1) | |
| 2010 | 37 | (9.7) | |
| 2011 | 25 | (6.5) | |
| 2012 | 31 | (8.1) | |
| 2013 | 25 | (6.5) | |
| 2014 | 33 | (8.6) | |
| 2015 | 15 | (3.9) | |
| 2016 | 22 | (5.7) | |
| Coastal area | |||
| West coast | 196 | (51.2) | |
| South coast | 162 | (42.3) | |
| East coast | 25 | (6.5) | |
| Route of infection | |||
| Seafood consumption | 336 | (87.7) | |
| Seawater exposure | 22 | (5.7) | |
| Seafood consumption and seawater exposure | 24 | (6.3) | |
| Unknown | 1 | (0.3) |
* Blue-collar workers: construction workers, civil engineers, architects, etc.