ACE Sanitation & Disease Prevention 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which pathogen type is most commonly transmitted by cockroaches through mechanical contamination of food surfaces?
- Prions
- Bacteria and protozoa (Correct answer)
- Viruses only
- Fungi only
Correct answer: Bacteria and protozoa
Cockroaches mechanically transmit bacteria (e.g., Salmonella) and protozoa by picking them up on their bodies and depositing them on food surfaces.
Question 2: In a commercial kitchen, which sanitation practice most directly reduces harborage sites for German cockroaches?
- Increasing lighting intensity
- Sealing cracks and crevices with caulk (Correct answer)
- Applying a residual insecticide to open surfaces
- Installing air curtains at doorways
Correct answer: Sealing cracks and crevices with caulk
Sealing cracks and crevices eliminates the tight, dark spaces German cockroaches prefer for harborage and reproduction.
Question 3: Leptospirosis is a disease of public health concern primarily associated with which pest?
- House flies
- Bed bugs
- Rats and mice (Correct answer)
- Mosquitoes
Correct answer: Rats and mice
Leptospirosis is caused by Leptospira bacteria shed in rodent urine, which can contaminate water and soil.
Question 4: A food processing facility finds stored product insects in grain. Which sanitation step should be performed FIRST before applying any pesticide?
- Apply a fumigant immediately
- Remove and discard all infested product (Correct answer)
- Raise the ambient temperature to 120°F
- Install pheromone traps throughout the facility
Correct answer: Remove and discard all infested product
Removing and discarding infested material eliminates the pest food source and breeding site, which is the essential first sanitation step.
Question 5: Which vector control method is considered a sanitation-based approach to reducing mosquito populations?
- Applying adulticide fogging
- Draining or eliminating standing water (Correct answer)
- Releasing sterile male mosquitoes
- Using DEET-based personal repellents
Correct answer: Draining or eliminating standing water
Eliminating standing water removes mosquito larval breeding habitat, which is a primary sanitation-based prevention strategy.
Question 6: The 'exclusion' component of an IPM program for rodents is best described as:
- Using rodenticide bait stations indoors
- Trapping and removing rodents from a building
- Sealing entry points to prevent rodent access (Correct answer)
- Removing harborage materials from the property perimeter
Correct answer: Sealing entry points to prevent rodent access
Exclusion involves physically sealing gaps, holes, and other entry points to prevent rodents from entering a structure.
Question 7: Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is primarily transmitted to humans by:
- The bite of an infected deer mouse
- Inhaling dust contaminated with deer mouse urine, feces, or saliva (Correct answer)
- Drinking water contaminated by deer mouse feces
- Contact with a deer mouse carcass
Correct answer: Inhaling dust contaminated with deer mouse urine, feces, or saliva
HPS transmission most commonly occurs when humans inhale aerosolized particles from dried deer mouse excreta or nesting materials.
ACE Sanitation & Disease Prevention 2
Which pathogen type is most commonly transmitted by cockroaches through mechanical contamination of food surfaces?