Foodborne Pathogens

The FDA identifies six highly infectious pathogens that food workers with symptoms must be excluded from work to prevent transmission: Norovirus (the most common cause of foodborne illness, spread person-to-person and via contaminated surfaces), Hepatitis A virus (spreads via contaminated water and shellfish), Salmonella Typhi (the typhoid bacterium, spread by carriers), Shigella (causes bloody dysentery, extremely low infectious dose of 10-100 organisms), Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC/O157:H7, found in undercooked beef and raw produce), and Listeria monocytogenes (uniquely dangerous because it grows at refrigerator temperatures and has a 20-30% fatality rate in vulnerable populations).