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Burden of Foodborne Illness: Findings
CDC estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.
These estimates provide the most accurate estimates yet of which known foodborne pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and parasites) are causing the most illnesses in the United States, and how many foodborne illnesses are caused by unspecified agents. The estimates also show that much work remains to be done—specifically in focusing efforts on the top known pathogens and identifying the additional causes of foodborne illness and death.
CDC provides estimates for two major groups of foodborne illnesses
Known foodborne pathogens — 31 pathogens known to cause foodborne illness. Many of these pathogens are tracked by public health systems that track diseases and outbreaks. Read the report >
Unspecified agents — Agents with insufficient data to estimate agent-specific burden; known agents not yet identified as causing foodborne illness; microbes, chemicals, or other substances known to be in food whose ability to cause illness is unproven; and agents not yet identified. Because you can’t “track” what isn’t yet identified, estimates for this group of agents started with the health effects or symptoms that they are most likely to cause, such as acute gastroenteritis. Read the report >
Total number of foodborne illnesses each year
CDC estimated the number of illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths caused by both known and unspecified agents. CDC then estimated what proportion of each were foodborne. The first table below provides estimates for domestically acquired foodborne illnesses, and the second table provides estimates for domestically acquired illnesses caused by all transmission routes (foodborne, waterborne, person-to-person contact, animal contact, environmental contamination, and others).
Estimated annual number of domestically acquired, foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths due to 31 pathogens and the unspecified agents transmitted through food, United States
| Foodborne agents | Estimated annual number of illnesses | Estimated annual number of hospitalizations | Estimated annual number of deaths | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number (90% credible interval) | % | Number (90% credible interval) | % | Number (90% credible interval) | % | |
| 31 known pathogens | 9.4 million (6.6–12.7 million) |
20 | 55,961 (39,534–75,741) |
44 | 1,351 (712–2,268) |
44 |
| Unspecified agents | 38.4 million (19.8–61.2 million) |
80 | 71,878 (9,924–157,340) |
56 | 1,686 (369–3,338) |
56 |
| Total | 47.8 million (28.7–71.1 million) |
100 | 127,839 (62,529–215,562) |
100 | 3,037 (1,492–4,983) |
100 |
Estimated annual number of illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths due to 31 pathogens and the unspecified agents, United States
| Foodborne agents | Estimated annual number of illnesses | Estimated annual number of hospitalizations | Estimated annual number of deaths | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number (90% credible interval) | % | Number (90% credible interval) | % | Number (90% credible interval) | % | |
| 31 known pathogens | 37.2 million (28.4–47.6 million) |
21 | 228,744 (188,326–275,601) |
47 | 2,612 (1,723–3,819) |
42 |
| Unspecified agents | 141.8 million | 79 | 258,033 | 53 | 3,574 | 58 |
| Total | 179 million | 100 | 486,777 | 100 | 6,186 | 100 |
Pathogens causing the most foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths each year
Top five pathogens contributing to domestically acquired foodborne illnesses
| Pathogen | Estimated number of illnesses | 90% credible interval | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norovirus | 5,461,731 | 3,227,078–8,309,480 | 58 |
| Salmonella, nontyphoidal | 1,027,561 | 644,786–1,679,667 | 11 |
| Clostridium perfringens | 965,958 | 192,316–2,483,309 | 10 |
| Campylobacter spp. | 845,024 | 337,031–1,611,083 | 9 |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 241,148 | 72,341–529,417 | 3 |
| Subtotal | 91 |
Top five pathogens contributing to domestically acquired foodborne illnesses resulting in hospitalization
| Pathogen | Estimated number of hospitalizations | 90% credible interval | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salmonella, nontyphoidal | 19,336 | 8,545–37,490 | 35 |
| Norovirus | 14,663 | 8,097–23,323 | 26 |
| Campylobacter spp. | 8,463 | 4,300–15,227 | 15 |
| Toxoplasma gondii | 4,428 | 2,634–6,674 | 8 |
| E. coli (STEC) O157 | 2,138 | 549–4,614 | 4 |
| Subtotal | 88 |
Top five pathogens contributing to domestically acquired foodborne illnesses resulting in death
| Pathogen | Estimated number of deaths | 90% credible interval | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salmonella, nontyphoidal | 378 | 0–1,011 | 28 |
| Toxoplasma gondii | 327 | 200–482 | 24 |
| Listeria monocytogenes | 255 | 0–733 | 19 |
| Norovirus | 149 | 84–237 | 11 |
| Campylobacter spp. | 76 | 0–332 | 6 |
| Subtotal | 88 |
Scallan E, Hoekstra RM, Angulo FJ, Tauxe RV, Widdowson M, Roy SL, et al. Foodborne illness acquired in the United States—major pathogens. Emerg Infect Dis. 2011;17(1):7-15. https://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1701.p11101