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I-HUMAN INFECTIOUS DISEASES CASES EXAM LATEST
VERSION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2026 EDITION
i-Human Infectious Diseases Cases: 70 Practice Questions with Rationales
DOMAIN 1: HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS & OLD CARTS FRAMEWORK (15
Questions)
1. The nurse is interviewing an i-Human patient with acute diarrhea. Which of the
following is the MOST appropriate question to assess the "Character" of the
diarrhea?
A) "When did your diarrhea start?"
B) "Is your diarrhea watery or bloody?"
C) "Does anything make your diarrhea worse?"
D) "How often do you have diarrhea?"
Answer: B) "Is your diarrhea watery or bloody?"
Rationale: The OLD CARTS framework includes Character as a key component of
symptom description. Character describes the quality or nature of the symptom—in this
case, whether the diarrhea is watery or bloody. Bloody diarrhea is a red flag that
suggests invasive bacterial infection (Shigella, Salmonella, Campylobacter). Onset (A),
Aggravating factors (C), and Timing (D) are separate components of OLD CARTS.
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2. In the OLD CARTS framework, a patient reports that their diarrhea started "about
3 days ago." This corresponds to which component?
A) Location
B) Duration
C) Onset
D) Timing
Answer: C) Onset
Rationale: Onset in OLD CARTS refers to when the symptom first started. In i-Human
infectious diarrhea cases, the onset is often acute (hours to days) and helps
differentiate infectious causes from chronic conditions like IBS. A 25-year-old female
presenting with a several-day history of loose stools is a classic i-Human presentation.
3. An i-Human patient with diarrhea reports that symptoms are "worse after eating
dairy." This is an example of:
A) Aggravating factors
B) Alleviating factors
C) Timing
D) Associated symptoms
Answer: A) Aggravating factors
Rationale: Aggravating factors are conditions that make the symptom worse. In the
Walden i-Human case, the patient had recently increased dairy and caffeine intake,
which may be contributing factors. Identifying dietary triggers is essential for
differentiating infectious from food-related causes.
4. A 25-year-old i-Human patient with acute diarrhea reports: "I've been having
constant watery diarrhea for 4 days." The nurse should ask which of the following to
assess for dehydration?
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A) "Have you had any fever or chills?"
B) "When did you last urinate, and what color was it?"
C) "Do you have any blood in your stool?"
D) "Have you had any recent travel?"
Answer: B) "When did you last urinate, and what color was it?"
Rationale: In a patient with acute diarrhea, decreased urine output is a key sign of
dehydration. In the i-Human case, the 25-year-old female with 4 days of watery diarrhea
requires careful assessment of hydration status. Orthostatic hypotension may indicate
moderate to severe dehydration requiring IV fluids.
5. An i-Human patient reports a 4-week history of persistent loose stools with
crampy abdominal pain but no fever, weight loss, or blood in stool. This
presentation is MOST consistent with:
A) Acute infectious diarrhea
B) Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D)
C) C. difficile infection
D) Traveler's diarrhea
Answer: B) Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D)
Rationale: Chronic diarrhea without alarm features (weight loss, fever, blood) is classic
for IBS-D. In i-Human cases, differentiating infectious from functional GI disorders is
essential. Acute onset with fever suggests infectious etiology.
6. A patient reports acute watery diarrhea with cramping after returning from a
camping trip where they drank untreated water. The MOST likely pathogen is:
A) Salmonella
B) Shigella
C) Giardia lamblia
D) Campylobacter
I-HUMAN INFECTIOUS DISEASES CASES EXAM LATEST
VERSION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2026 EDITION
i-Human Infectious Diseases Cases: 70 Practice Questions with Rationales
DOMAIN 1: HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS & OLD CARTS FRAMEWORK (15
Questions)
1. The nurse is interviewing an i-Human patient with acute diarrhea. Which of the
following is the MOST appropriate question to assess the "Character" of the
diarrhea?
A) "When did your diarrhea start?"
B) "Is your diarrhea watery or bloody?"
C) "Does anything make your diarrhea worse?"
D) "How often do you have diarrhea?"
Answer: B) "Is your diarrhea watery or bloody?"
Rationale: The OLD CARTS framework includes Character as a key component of
symptom description. Character describes the quality or nature of the symptom—in this
case, whether the diarrhea is watery or bloody. Bloody diarrhea is a red flag that
suggests invasive bacterial infection (Shigella, Salmonella, Campylobacter). Onset (A),
Aggravating factors (C), and Timing (D) are separate components of OLD CARTS.
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2. In the OLD CARTS framework, a patient reports that their diarrhea started "about
3 days ago." This corresponds to which component?
A) Location
B) Duration
C) Onset
D) Timing
Answer: C) Onset
Rationale: Onset in OLD CARTS refers to when the symptom first started. In i-Human
infectious diarrhea cases, the onset is often acute (hours to days) and helps
differentiate infectious causes from chronic conditions like IBS. A 25-year-old female
presenting with a several-day history of loose stools is a classic i-Human presentation.
3. An i-Human patient with diarrhea reports that symptoms are "worse after eating
dairy." This is an example of:
A) Aggravating factors
B) Alleviating factors
C) Timing
D) Associated symptoms
Answer: A) Aggravating factors
Rationale: Aggravating factors are conditions that make the symptom worse. In the
Walden i-Human case, the patient had recently increased dairy and caffeine intake,
which may be contributing factors. Identifying dietary triggers is essential for
differentiating infectious from food-related causes.
4. A 25-year-old i-Human patient with acute diarrhea reports: "I've been having
constant watery diarrhea for 4 days." The nurse should ask which of the following to
assess for dehydration?
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A) "Have you had any fever or chills?"
B) "When did you last urinate, and what color was it?"
C) "Do you have any blood in your stool?"
D) "Have you had any recent travel?"
Answer: B) "When did you last urinate, and what color was it?"
Rationale: In a patient with acute diarrhea, decreased urine output is a key sign of
dehydration. In the i-Human case, the 25-year-old female with 4 days of watery diarrhea
requires careful assessment of hydration status. Orthostatic hypotension may indicate
moderate to severe dehydration requiring IV fluids.
5. An i-Human patient reports a 4-week history of persistent loose stools with
crampy abdominal pain but no fever, weight loss, or blood in stool. This
presentation is MOST consistent with:
A) Acute infectious diarrhea
B) Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D)
C) C. difficile infection
D) Traveler's diarrhea
Answer: B) Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D)
Rationale: Chronic diarrhea without alarm features (weight loss, fever, blood) is classic
for IBS-D. In i-Human cases, differentiating infectious from functional GI disorders is
essential. Acute onset with fever suggests infectious etiology.
6. A patient reports acute watery diarrhea with cramping after returning from a
camping trip where they drank untreated water. The MOST likely pathogen is:
A) Salmonella
B) Shigella
C) Giardia lamblia
D) Campylobacter
