An outbreak investigation finds that 30 patrons at a wedding buffet developed vomiting and nausea within 2–4 hours of the meal; the food handler reported recent skin lesions and had been preparing desserts and salads. Which pathogen is most likely and what targeted prevention steps should be prioritized?

• A. Clostridium perfringens — because short incubation and vomiting point to C. perfringens, the best step is to refrigerate the buffet for 24 hours to allow the organism to die off naturally before anyone else eats.
• B. Staphylococcus aureus — prioritize excluding the symptomatic or colonized food handler, discarding implicated ready-to-eat foods that were held at room temperature, sanitizing work surfaces, and retraining staff on hand hygiene and wound coverage.
• C. Norovirus — require all guests to take prophylactic antiemetics and continue service while sending the food handler home without further controls because vomiting is the only key sign.
• D. Hepatitis A virus — implement immediate vaccination for all guests and boil all remaining foods to destroy heat-stable viral toxins produced by infected food handlers.

Answer: (B)