Reducing foodborne disease: what are the priorities?

Abstract

Recent estimates by the US Centers for Disease Control indicate there are approximately 76 million cases of foodborne illness in the United States annually, resulting in 325 000 hospitalizations and 5000 deaths.1 Only an estimated 14 million of the cases are attributed to known pathogens, whereas 62 million illnesses are of unknown etiology. Clearly, the magnitude of foodborne disease in the US is alarming, with approximately one in four of the population suffering a foodborne illness each year. Three pathogens dominate the list of 28 well-known agents of food-associated illnesses, with Norwalk-like viruses, Campylobacter jejuni, and Salmonella each year responsible for 9 200 000, 1 963 000, and 1 342 000 cases, respectively. Although not as common, Escherichia coli O157:H7 (estimated 62 500 foodborne illnesses) and Listeria monocytogenes (estimated 2500 foodborne illnesses) cause severe, often incapacitating, maladies in many who are affected. Hence, although some pathogens may not be frequent agents of disease, their manifestations of illness are so devastating that extraordinary precautions are taken to prevent their contamination of food.