Children and Microbial Foodborne Illness

Consumption of food contaminated with microbial pathogens (bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses, and their toxins) causes an estimated 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths each year in the United States. People who face relatively higher risks from foodborne illness and associated complications, such as kidney failure, include the very young, the very old, and the immunocompromised, such as those with AIDS and cancer. Children deserve added attention in the study of microbial foodborne illness because the risks of some foodborne illnesses, such as salmonellosis, are relatively higher for children than for other demographic groups. Children’s immune systems are not fully developed, placing them at a relatively higher risk for some foodborne illnesses. A child’s lower weight means that it takes a smaller quantity of pathogens to make a child sick than it would a healthy adult. Also, children have limited control of food safety risks because their meals are usually prepared by others. This article focuses on some of the more common or serious foodborne illnesses, namely illnesses from Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, E. coli non-O157:H7 STEC, Listeria, and Toxoplasma gondii. Children are usually exposed to these pathogens not only by contaminated food but also by secondary sources of exposure, such as ill family members or ill classmates in a day care center. A pregnant woman who becomes newly infected with Listeria or Toxoplasma gondii can pass the infection to her fetus. USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) estimates that the five foodborne illnesses covered in this article cause $6.9 billion in medical costs, lost productivity, and premature deaths in the United States each year. Using FoodNet data on the proportion of all confirmed and reported illnesses attributed to children for the different pathogens, our preliminary estimate is that about one-third of total costs—$2.3 billion—are the result of illnesses in children under the age of 10. Children and Microbial Foodborne Illness