title: Foodborne illness acquired in the United States--major pathogens.
abstract: Estimates of foodborne illness can be used to direct food safety policy and interventions. We used data from active and passive surveillance and other sources to estimate that each year 31 major pathogens acquired in the United States caused 9.4 million episodes of foodborne illness (90% credible interval [CrI] 6.6-12.7 million), 55,961 hospitalizations (90% CrI 39,534-75,741), and 1,351 deaths (90% CrI 712-2,268). Most (58%) illnesses were caused by norovirus, followed by nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. (11%), Clostridium perfringens (10%), and Campylobacter spp. (9%). Leading causes of hospitalization were nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. (35%), norovirus (26%), Campylobacter spp. (15%), and Toxoplasma gondii (8%). Leading causes of death were nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. (28%), T. gondii (24%), Listeria monocytogenes (19%), and norovirus (11%). These estimates cannot be compared with prior (1999) estimates to assess trends because different methods were used. Additional data and more refined methods can improve future estimates.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. elaine.scallan@ucdenver.edu
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scallan
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hoekstra
authors.forename: Frederick J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Angulo
authors.forename: Robert V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Tauxe
authors.forename: Marc-Alain
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Widdowson
authors.forename: Sharon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Jeffery L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Patricia M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Griffin
mesh_terms: D002167:Campylobacter; D003016:Clostridium perfringens; D005516:Food Microbiology; D059022:Food Safety; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D029322:Norovirus; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D012475:Salmonella; D014122:Toxoplasma; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology