Which of the following pathogen infections in a food worker must be reported to regulatory authorities?

• A. Staphylococcus aureus
• B. Norovirus
• C. Salmonella typhi
• D. Campylobacter jejuni

Answer: (C)

Notifiable infections in a food worker are tracked to quickly stop the spread of disease. Salmonella typhi, which causes typhoid fever, is a classic notifiable illness because it can be severe and easily transmitted through food handled by an infected person. Health departments require prompt reporting, exclusion from food handling, and medical follow-up before the worker returns. The other pathogens listed—Staphylococcus aureus, Norovirus, and Campylobacter jejuni—can cause illness, but reporting requirements for individual cases are not universal; they may be investigated in outbreaks, but they are not automatically mandated in the same way typhoid fever is. Therefore, the infection with Salmonella typhi must be reported to regulatory authorities.