CPFS Foodborne Illness & Pathogens

Question 1

What temperature range is known as the 'danger zone' in which foodborne pathogens grow most rapidly?

Accepted Answer

41°F to 135°F

Answer

0°F to 32°F

Answer

140°F to 165°F

Answer

32°F to 70°F

Question 2

Which pathogen is most commonly associated with undercooked poultry and is the leading cause of bacterial foodborne illness in the United States?

Accepted Answer

Campylobacter jejuni

Answer

Salmonella spp.

Answer

Listeria monocytogenes

Answer

Clostridium perfringens

Question 3

Which characteristic of the toxin produced by Staphylococcus aureus makes it especially dangerous in foodservice?

Accepted Answer

It is heat-stable and survives cooking temperatures

Answer

It is destroyed at refrigeration temperatures

Answer

It requires live bacteria to cause illness

Answer

It only forms in acidic foods

Question 4

Hepatitis A virus outbreaks in foodservice are most often traced to which source?

Accepted Answer

An infected food handler with poor personal hygiene

Answer

Contaminated equipment surfaces

Answer

Improperly refrigerated dairy products

Answer

Undercooked ground beef

Question 5

Which foodborne pathogen is responsible for producing a preformed toxin that causes illness within 1–6 hours after ingestion?

Accepted Answer

Staphylococcus aureus

Answer

Clostridium botulinum

Answer

Salmonella Typhi

Answer

Norovirus

Question 6

Which condition is most likely to promote the growth of Clostridium perfringens in a foodservice setting?

Accepted Answer

Rapidly cooling large batches of cooked meat in deep pots

Answer

Storing raw poultry on the bottom shelf of the walk-in cooler

Answer

Holding cooked beans at 45°F

Answer

Using chlorinated water to wash produce

Question 7

E. coli O157:H7 is classified as a particularly dangerous pathogen in foodservice because it produces which harmful substance?

Accepted Answer

Shiga toxin

Answer

Aflatoxin

Answer

Botulinum toxin

Answer

Mycotoxin