Microbiology: A Clinical Approach, Second Edition
Chapter 1 What is Microbiology and Why Does it Matter?
Question Bank
Multiple Choice
1. The most common means by which multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is transmitted
is
A. Through the use of contaminated needles or syringes
B. By dispersal of aerosols containing droplets carrying causative bacteria
C. By inhaling spores of the causative agent
D. By ingesting undercooked ground beef
E. By individuals who fail to wash their hands after using the lavatory
Answer: B
Diffiuculty: 1
Feedback: The portal of entry and exit of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the upper
respiratory tract and the organism does not sporulate. The only choice, therefore, is droplet
transmission.
2. Which of the following is true of enterohemorrhagic bacteria contracted from
ground beef?
,A. It may be the result of ingesting Escherichia coli 0157:H7
B. It causes short-lived symptoms of food poisoning and is never life threatening
C. It is always antibiotic-resistant
D. It affects only the gastrointestinal tract of young children and the elderly
E. It is still a risk even if the ground beef is cooked thoroughly
Answer: A
Difficulty: 1
Feedback: The enterohemorrhagic bacteria is often the E. coli strain in “A”. The disease can
be life threatening and is sometimes resistant to antibiotics. It can affect people of any age
but is most severe in children and the elderly. Fully cooked ground meat destroys the
bacteria.
3. A term reserved for a disease that is acquired in a clinical setting is known as a(n)
_____ infection.
A. Enterohemorrhagic
B. Contagious
C. Multidrug-resistant
D. Nosocomial
E. Acute
Answer: D
Feedback: Although the other disease indicated, can be acquired in clinical settings as well
as in the community, only nosocomial diseases are, by definition, acquired solely in clinical
settings.
Difficulty: 1
,4. A(n) _____ is the general term that describes someone who does not become sick
when harboring an infectious pathogen, but has the potential to transmit the infectious
pathogen to others.
A. Carrier
B. Bioterrorist
C. Opportunist
D. Food handler
Answer: A
Feedback: A carrier is someone who harbors an infectious pathogen but does not show
symptoms. Pathogens may also be carried or spread by bioterrorists or food handlers but
they do not harbor the pathogen. A bioterrorist may carry pathogens in a closed container
and food handlers may carry germs on their hands without succumbing to illness as the
pathogens have not entered his body. Opportunist usually refers to non-pathogenic
microorganisms normally resident on the human body which can cause disease under
certain conditions.
Difficulty: 1
5. Which of the following explains the dramatic decrease in death rates attributed to
infectious disease during the twentieth century?
A. Advances in public health
B. Chlorination of drinking water
C. Use of antibiotics
D. Effective vaccine programs
E. All of the choices
, Answer: E
Feedback: All the listed activities have led to a decrease in death rates, particularly in
children.
Difficulty: 1
6. The general term for the ability of an organism to overcome host defenses and cause
disease is associated with the _____ of a pathogen.
A. Peptidoglycan
B. Latency
C. Virulence
D. Innate immune response
E. Natural habitat
Answer: C
Feedback:
Virulence is the ability of pathogens to overcome the body’s defenses and establish
themselves in the host. Peptidoglycans can induce inflammation, some diseases exhibit
latency where they remain dormant for long periods, and the innate immune response is
the initial host defense and can prevent disease from occurring. The natural habitat of a
pathogen describes the environment where the pathogen naturally occurs.
Difficulty: 2
7. Microorganisms that normally colonize skin and mucous membranes can be
A. Commensal
B. Nonpathogenic
Chapter 1 What is Microbiology and Why Does it Matter?
Question Bank
Multiple Choice
1. The most common means by which multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is transmitted
is
A. Through the use of contaminated needles or syringes
B. By dispersal of aerosols containing droplets carrying causative bacteria
C. By inhaling spores of the causative agent
D. By ingesting undercooked ground beef
E. By individuals who fail to wash their hands after using the lavatory
Answer: B
Diffiuculty: 1
Feedback: The portal of entry and exit of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the upper
respiratory tract and the organism does not sporulate. The only choice, therefore, is droplet
transmission.
2. Which of the following is true of enterohemorrhagic bacteria contracted from
ground beef?
,A. It may be the result of ingesting Escherichia coli 0157:H7
B. It causes short-lived symptoms of food poisoning and is never life threatening
C. It is always antibiotic-resistant
D. It affects only the gastrointestinal tract of young children and the elderly
E. It is still a risk even if the ground beef is cooked thoroughly
Answer: A
Difficulty: 1
Feedback: The enterohemorrhagic bacteria is often the E. coli strain in “A”. The disease can
be life threatening and is sometimes resistant to antibiotics. It can affect people of any age
but is most severe in children and the elderly. Fully cooked ground meat destroys the
bacteria.
3. A term reserved for a disease that is acquired in a clinical setting is known as a(n)
_____ infection.
A. Enterohemorrhagic
B. Contagious
C. Multidrug-resistant
D. Nosocomial
E. Acute
Answer: D
Feedback: Although the other disease indicated, can be acquired in clinical settings as well
as in the community, only nosocomial diseases are, by definition, acquired solely in clinical
settings.
Difficulty: 1
,4. A(n) _____ is the general term that describes someone who does not become sick
when harboring an infectious pathogen, but has the potential to transmit the infectious
pathogen to others.
A. Carrier
B. Bioterrorist
C. Opportunist
D. Food handler
Answer: A
Feedback: A carrier is someone who harbors an infectious pathogen but does not show
symptoms. Pathogens may also be carried or spread by bioterrorists or food handlers but
they do not harbor the pathogen. A bioterrorist may carry pathogens in a closed container
and food handlers may carry germs on their hands without succumbing to illness as the
pathogens have not entered his body. Opportunist usually refers to non-pathogenic
microorganisms normally resident on the human body which can cause disease under
certain conditions.
Difficulty: 1
5. Which of the following explains the dramatic decrease in death rates attributed to
infectious disease during the twentieth century?
A. Advances in public health
B. Chlorination of drinking water
C. Use of antibiotics
D. Effective vaccine programs
E. All of the choices
, Answer: E
Feedback: All the listed activities have led to a decrease in death rates, particularly in
children.
Difficulty: 1
6. The general term for the ability of an organism to overcome host defenses and cause
disease is associated with the _____ of a pathogen.
A. Peptidoglycan
B. Latency
C. Virulence
D. Innate immune response
E. Natural habitat
Answer: C
Feedback:
Virulence is the ability of pathogens to overcome the body’s defenses and establish
themselves in the host. Peptidoglycans can induce inflammation, some diseases exhibit
latency where they remain dormant for long periods, and the innate immune response is
the initial host defense and can prevent disease from occurring. The natural habitat of a
pathogen describes the environment where the pathogen naturally occurs.
Difficulty: 2
7. Microorganisms that normally colonize skin and mucous membranes can be
A. Commensal
B. Nonpathogenic
