Foodborne Pathogens of Public Health Significance

I came across this cool WSJ healthblog as I was skimming my GoogleReader.

Source: WSJ

It is well known that foodborne illnesses can cause significant morbidity and mortality. A new report from the University of Florida's Emerging Pathogens Institute, summarized and linked from the WSJ article, details the 10 deadliest pathogen-food combinations.

1. Campylobacter in poultry: $1.3 billion annually, 9,500 lost quality adjusted life years (QALYs)
2. Toxoplasma in pork: $1.2 billion, 4,500 QALYs
3. Listeria in deli meats: $1.1 billion, 4,000 QALYs
4. Salmonella in poultry: $700 million, 3,600 QALYs
5. Listeria in dairy products: $700 million, 2,600 QALYs
6. Salmonella in complex foods: $600 million, 3,200 QALYs
7. Norovirus in complex foods: $900 million, 2,300 QALYs
8. Salmonella in produce: $500 million, 2,800 QALYs
9. Toxoplasma in beef: $700 million, 2,500 QALYs
10. Salmonella in eggs: $400 million, 1,900 QALYs

Carnivores are not exclusively at risk, even vegetarians can get Salmonella from produce.

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