Newly published research shows that Salmonella caused the highest number of intestinal disease outbreaks in multiple states in 2023.
The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that the agency investigated 181 possible outbreaks in multiple states and determined that 84 of those incidents were actually outbreaks in multiple states.
Investigators determined the cause of 50 of these outbreaks, for a resolution rate of 60 percent.
The 84 outbreaks studied caused at least 3,153 illnesses, 942 hospitalizations and 10 deaths. The actual number of sick people was likely much higher, because some people do not seek medical attention and others are not specifically tested for foodborne pathogens. For example, the CDC estimates that for every confirmed patient in a salmonella outbreak, 29 patients go undetected.
Of the 50 resolved outbreaks, 32 were linked to contaminated food and caused 1,219 illnesses, 421 hospitalizations and 9 deaths. The other 18 resolved outbreaks in multiple states were linked to contact with animals and caused 1,220 illnesses and 290 hospitalizations. Backyard chicken flocks have been found to be the most common cause of animal contact outbreaks.
“Among all resolved foodborne outbreak illnesses, 11 percent occurred in children under 5 years of age and 30 percent in adults over 65 years of age, age groups at higher risk for severe illness,” according to the report.
Fruit has been identified as the source of the most resolved foodborne outbreaks (5) in 2023. Row vegetable crops (4) and chicken (4) have also been identified as common sources of foodborne outbreaks in 2023.
Backyard poultry was identified as the source of the most resolved outbreaks (14) and the greatest number of illnesses associated with outbreaks (1,127 cases across all animal contact categories) in 2023.
Similar to the findings in previous summaries, Salmonella caused the greatest number of multistate outbreaks at 54, as well as the highest number of illnesses at 2,848, accounting for 64 percent of the multistate outbreaks studied and 90 percent of the illnesses.
Salmonella caused the most resolved foodborne outbreaks in multiple states with 16 outbreaks or 50 percent, followed by Listeria with seven outbreaks at 22 percent, STEC with seven outbreaks at 22 percent and Campylobacter with two outbreaks at 6 percent.
The CDC investigated more multistate outbreaks in 2023 than any year since 2016. The number of multistate outbreaks investigated in 2023 increased compared to 2022 for all pathogens except Listeria, which caused the same number of outbreaks in 2022 and 2023.
A suspected source was identified in 56 percent of foodborne outbreaks and a confirmed source was identified in 44 percent. These resolved foodborne outbreaks in multiple states were associated with 1,219 illnesses, 421 hospitalizations and nine deaths. The sick people affected by these outbreaks ranged in age from 1 to 100 years old, with a median age of 47 years. Compared to Salmonella, STEC, and Campylobacter infections, a higher proportion of resolved Listeria foodborne illness outbreaks in multiple states involved adults aged 65 and older at 61 percent, compared to 30 percent, 11 percent, and 33 percent, respectively).
In 2023, the CDC issued outbreak advisories for 11 investigations. The 11 investigations included eight related to contaminated food – seven with a confirmed source and one with a suspected source – and three related to contact with animals or pet food. Of the seven investigations involving a confirmed food source, five resulted in food recalls and one resulted in the food temporarily not being sold. Of the three animal contact or pet food investigations, one resulted in a pet food recall. In total, outbreak notices received more than 2 million page views, including a major salmonella outbreak linked to fresh diced onions that received more than 1 million views.
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