A surgeon treats a patient with Gastroenteritis, fails to change gloves and then, while asymptomatic themself, prepares food for a family event and several family members become ill. Which carrier type best describes the surgeon?

• A. Passive carrier—uninfected (or not actively shedding) individual who mechanically transmits pathogens on hands or clothing.
• B. Asymptomatic active carrier—infected person shedding pathogen internally via stool or secretions but without externally contaminated hands or clothing as the main route.
• C. Environmental reservoir—the food itself served as the reservoir and the surgeon was neither contaminated nor responsible for transmission.
• D. Active symptomatic carrier—infected person shedding large quantities of pathogen in bodily fluids and causing spread through respiratory droplets.

Answer: (A)