Salmonella ranks first among the top 15 most costly foodborne illnesses, raking up around $3.7 billion every year in medical costs for Americans.
According to the latest estimates from USDA’s Economic Research Service, the top 15 pathogens, which also include Listeria monocytogenes (ranked third), Campylobacter (ranked 5) and E. coli O157:H7 (ranked 9), make up 95 percent of illnesses and deaths from food in the U.S.
Salmonella’s cost is $3.7 billion, with 1,027,561 total cases, 19,336 hospitalizations and 378 deaths.
Listeria monocytogenes’s cost is $2.8 billion, with 1,591 cases, 1,173 hospitalizations and 306 deaths.
Campylobacter’s is $1.9 billion, with 845,024 cases, 8,463 hospitalizations and 76 deaths.
E. coli O157’s is $271 million, with 63,153 cases, 2,138 hospitalizations and 30 deaths.
Deaths tend to account for the bulk of the total costs. Death associated with salmonella, for example, cost nearly $3.3 billion, or almost 90 percent, of its $3.7 billion cost.