Trends in Foodborne Salmonellosis Outbreaks: 1963-1975

Since 1963 651 outbreaks of human salmonellosis have been reported to the Center for Disease Control. The vehicle of transmission was identified in 463 (71%) of the reported outbreaks. The three most important vehicles have been poultry, meat, and eggs, which accounted for 99 (21%), 69 (15%), and 53 (11%) of the outbreaks respectively. Egg-associated outbreaks decreased markedly during the study period while meat-associated outbreaks (particularly beef) gradually increased and poultry-associated outbreaks showed no constant trend.