Leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness in the United States is which disease?

• A. Toxoplasmosis
• B. Salmonellosis
• C. Listeriosis
• D. Campylobacteriosis

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that how deadly a foodborne illness is matters as much as how often it occurs. Toxoplasmosis, caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, tends to be more lethal in the groups most at risk—pregnant women, newborns, and people with weakened immune systems—even though it may not cause as many illnesses as some bacterial pathogens. Because those few infections can lead to severe outcomes, the number of deaths attributed to foodborne illness is highest for toxoplasmosis in U.S. surveillance data.

In comparison, bacteria like Salmonella and Campylobacter cause many more illnesses, but the fatality rate per case is lower, so they don’t drive the death toll as much. Listeriosis has a high case-fatality rate, but its overall incidence is lower, so it doesn’t exceed toxoplasmosis in deaths attributed to foodborne disease.

So, toxoplasmosis is the best answer because its potential for severe disease in vulnerable populations leads to a disproportionate share of deaths among foodborne illnesses in the United States. Preventive measures include proper cooking of meat, careful handling of produce, avoiding unpasteurized dairy, and, for pregnant women, taking precautions to avoid exposure to cat feces and contaminated soil.