Which statement about Shigella growth in food is true?

• A. It multiplies rapidly in food at room temperature.
• B. It cannot grow at room temperature.
• C. It only grows at refrigerator temperatures.
• D. It requires freezing to survive.

Answer: (A)

Shigella grows well in foods that are kept at room temperature because warmth and moisture create conditions that let the bacteria multiply quickly. When foods sit out or are only lightly cooled, Shigella can rapidly reach infectious levels, increasing the chance of illness from eating those foods. That makes the statement about rapid multiplication at room temperature the true one. It doesn’t belong to the ideas that it cannot grow at room temperature or that it only grows in refrigerator temperatures. Freezing doesn’t enable survival in a growth sense the way room temperature does; Shigella can survive freezing but doesn’t require it for survival, and freezing isn’t a growth-promoting condition.