Food poisoning killed 71 Americans last year and sent 4,445 to the hospital, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The news about trends in illnesses associated with various pathogens such as E.coli, Listeria, Salmonella and Campylobacter was a mixed bag.
Compared with 2006–2008, the 2014 incidence was: 32 percent lower for Shiga toxin–producing E. coli (STEC) O157; 22 percent lower for Yersinia; 52 percent higher for Vibrio, 13 percent higher for Campylobcater and about the same for other pathogens.
While there were fewer illness from Shiga toxin–producing E. coli (STEC) O157 and Salmonella Typhimurium in 2014 than there were in the 2006–2008 and the 2011-2013 reporting periods, the incidence of non-O157 STEC and Salmonella Infantis was higher in 2014 than in both previous reporting periods.
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In 2013, a total of 87 cases of postdiarrheal hemolytic uremic syndrome were reported among children younger than 18. Of those, 46 occurred in children five or younger. Those numbers do not differ significantly from 2006–2008 for either age group, according to the CDC. None of the HUS illnesses were fatal.
Further study is required to find out what is behind the increase in Campylobacter and Vibrio cases, the report’s authors concluded.
