Estimated Illness Linked to Animal Contact for 7 Pathogens, United States, 2019

Diseases transmitted through direct or indirect animal contact are a public health concern in the United States. Improvements in laboratory detection methods and illness estimates warrant an update of illness estimates linked to animal contact. We used surveillance data and other sources to estimate the annual number of US illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths for 7 pathogens. We adjusted for underreporting and underdiagnosis by using established methods. Campylobacter , Cryptosporidium , Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli , Listeria monocytogenes , nontyphoidal Salmonella , and non-pestis Yersinia caused an estimated 995,022 (90% credible interval [CrI] 476,251–1,833,238) animal contact illnesses around 2019. Together with Toxoplasma gondii , those illnesses caused an estimated 9,592 (90% CrI 5,603‒15,557) hospitalizations and 236 (90% CrI 119‒411) deaths in the United States. Increased awareness among health professionals, government officials, industry partners, and the public about animal contact as a mode of disease transmission can aid prevention efforts and enhanced surveillance.