Eating undercooked food or drinking contaminated water allows pathogen transmission via which of the following routes?

• A. fecal-oral route
• B. direct contact route
• C. vector-borne route
• D. airborne route

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the context of pathogen transmission routes, which describe how infectious agents move from a source to a new host.
2. Identify the mode of transmission involved when eating undercooked food or drinking contaminated water. Both involve ingestion of pathogens.
3. Recall that the fecal-oral route involves pathogens present in feces contaminating food or water, which are then ingested by a new host.
4. Compare other options: direct contact involves physical touch, vector-borne involves an organism like a mosquito, and airborne involves inhaling droplets or particles.
5. Conclude that since the transmission occurs through ingestion of contaminated substances, the correct route is the fecal-oral route.