According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one out of six Americans will come down with a foodborne illness each year, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
A large increase in foodborne salmonellosis was observed in the UK during the 1980s.
Foodborne botulism is caused by ingestion of the botulinum neurotoxin, which is produced during growth of the organism in food.
Strategies to reduce the number of poultry carrying foodborne pathogens could potentially decrease the number of human infections.
Salmonella is the most frequent cause of foodborne illness, according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.