The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are 76 million cases of food-borne illness a year in the United States. The problem sends nearly 325,000 people a year to the hospital; 5,000 a year die from it. The young, the old and the immune-compromised are hit hardest.
One of the main reasons for this is that many sick people don’t seek attention, resulting in most food-borne infections going undiagnosed and unreported. Of those who do, many are not tested. In the case of salmonellosis, the CDC estimates that 38 cases occur for every one that’s actually reported.
Of those that are admitted to hospitals, stool cultures are rarely taken due to the length of time – a few days – that it takes for results to come back. By then the patient has usually been released – unfortunate, because stool cultures are the standard diagnostic test for food-borne illness.
In addition, many doctors try to quickly diagnose the symptoms as appendicitis or a gastrointestinal virus, rather than take the steps to guarantee that it isn’t a food-borne illness.
Although infections caused by E. coli O157:H7, campylobacter, cryptosporidium, listeria and yersinia have declined, salmonella infections have showed the smallest declines. Of 15,806 laboratory-diagnosed cases of food-borne, more cases were from salmonella than any other pathogen.
Other E. coli Lawsuits
1 dead with 22 injured in E. coli Hamburger Outbreak in Montana
E. coli Outbreak in Washington and California linked to Walnuts
Seattle PCC Market E. coli outbreak linked to Guacamole
11 with E. coli linked to Raw Milk LLC Cheese
Miguel’s Cocina 4S Ranch E. coli Outbreak sickens 35
Huntley High School students hit with E. coli
Marler Clark retained by a dozen families to investigate Fueling Brain E. coli Outbreak
E. coli Outbreak linked to University of Arkansas
E. coli Lawsuit filed in Washington State against Torero's Mexican Restaurant
Aldi Falafels sicken 24 with E. coli in 6 States
HelloFresh linked to E. coli Outbreak in Six States
Wendy's E. coli Outbreak Grows to 109 Victims, 13 with Acute Kidney Failure
Lawsuit updates about foodborne illnesses
Lawsuits updates by year
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1998
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1999
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2000
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2001
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2002
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2003
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2004
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2005
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2006
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2007
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2008
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2009
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2010
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2011
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2012
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2013
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2014
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2015
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2016
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2017
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2018
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2019
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2020
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2021
Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2022
Get Help
Affected by an outbreak or recall?
The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more.
Get a free consultationRelated Resources
E. coli Food Poisoning
What is E. coli and how does it cause food poisoning? Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a highly studied, common species of bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae, so...
E. coli O157:H7
E. coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 is the most commonly identified and the most notorious Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype in...
Non-O157 STEC
Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli can also cause food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 may be the most notorious serotype of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), but there are at least...
Sources of E. coli
Where do E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) come from? The primary reservoirs, or ultimate sources, of E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC in nature are...
Transmission of and Infection with E. coli
While many dairy cattle-associated foodborne disease outbreaks are linked to raw milk and other raw dairy products (e.g., cheeses, butter, ice cream), dairy cattle still represent a source of contamination...
Outbreak Database
Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks?
The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more.
View Outbreak Database