What practice contributed to GI illness in employees during a veterinary facility outbreak involving kittens or cats?

What practice contributed to GI illness in employees during a veterinary facility outbreak involving kittens or cats?

• A. Wearing PPE
• B. Handwashing before meals
• C. Taking breaks away from work
• D. Eating on work surfaces

Answer: (D)

Fecal-oral transmission from contaminated surfaces is a common way GI illness spreads in veterinary settings. When kittens or cats shed enteric pathogens, these can contaminate cages, litter boxes, and nearby surfaces. Eating on those work surfaces means food can directly pick up microbes, so ingestion occurs even if other hygiene steps are followed. PPE and washing hands before meals help prevent transmission, and taking breaks away from the work area reduces exposure, but eating on contaminated surfaces creates a direct pathway for pathogens to enter the digestive tract.

Fecal-oral transmission from contaminated surfaces is a common way GI illness spreads in veterinary settings. When kittens or cats shed enteric pathogens, these can contaminate cages, litter boxes, and nearby surfaces. Eating on those work surfaces means food can directly pick up microbes, so ingestion occurs even if other hygiene steps are followed. PPE and washing hands before meals help prevent transmission, and taking breaks away from the work area reduces exposure, but eating on contaminated surfaces creates a direct pathway for pathogens to enter the digestive tract.