MSN Exam 1 QUESTIONS WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS
list the microorganisms that cause an infection - ANS ✔✔bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa,
helminths, and prions
normal flora - ANS ✔✔helpful to human host; occur naturally; nonpathogenic to the particular
part of the body where they're located
what is a pathogen? - ANS ✔✔an organism causing disease in a host
colonization - ANS ✔✔pathogenic microbes are present in the body without causing symptoms
or a detectable immune response
subclinical infection - ANS ✔✔that which has only an immune response (increased antibody
level for the microbe) but no symptoms
what does bacterial growth depend on? - ANS ✔✔oxygen, nutrition, light, temperature, and
humidity; most bacteria that inhabit humans grow best at body temperature (98.6 F)
what are rickettsiae? - ANS ✔✔a type of bacteria that must be inside living cells to reproduce;
vectors include infected fleas, ticks, mites, and lice that bite humans; a disease caused by
rickettsiae is Rocky Mountain spotted fever
what are viruses? - ANS ✔✔organisms smaller than bacteria that depend on host cells to live
and reproduce; viruses can immediately trigger disease or remain dormant for years; antibiotics
uneffective against viruses; antiviral drugs used to decrease symptoms and decrease viral load
(the number of viral cells in the patient's body)
, fungi - ANS ✔✔a group of organisms including yeasts, molds, and mushrooms that can produce
highly resistant spores; most are nonpathogenic and serious fungal infections are rare;
antifungal medications treat
what are protozoa? - ANS ✔✔single-celled parasitic organisms with flexible membranes that
live in the soil and obtain nourishment from dead or decaying organic material; infect humans
through: fecal-oral contamination, ingestion of food or water contaminated with cysts or spores,
host-to-host contact, or by the bite of a mosquito or other insect that has previously bitten an
infected person
what are helminths? - ANS ✔✔wormlike parasitic animals (roundworms, flatworms,
tapeworms, pinworms, hookworms, and flukes); disease occurs through skin penetration of
larvae or ingestion of helminth eggs
what is Trichinosis? - ANS ✔✔a disease caused by eating raw or undercooked meat of pigs or
wild animals that contain Trichinella larvae
what are prions? - ANS ✔✔transmissible pathogenic agents that cause abnormal folding of
normal cellular proteins (prion proteins) found mainly in the brain; prion diseases have long
incubation periods, cause no inflammatory response, progress rapidly, and are fatal (Ex.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and mad cow disease)
what does brain damage result from? - ANS ✔✔abnormal folding of prion proteins
list the chain of infection and give examples of each - ANS ✔✔causative agent (bacteria,
rickettsiae, viruses, fungi, protozoa); reservoir (human, animal, soil, water, equipment); portal of
exit (droplets, skin, excretions, placental); mode of transmission (direct: droplet, indirect:
vehicle borne or vector-borne, airborne); portal of entry (skin/mucous membranes, respiratory
tract, GI tract, blood/open lesions, placental); susceptible host (age, immunocompromised,
malnutrition, surgery, burns, chronic diseases, invasive procedures)
VERIFIED ANSWERS
list the microorganisms that cause an infection - ANS ✔✔bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa,
helminths, and prions
normal flora - ANS ✔✔helpful to human host; occur naturally; nonpathogenic to the particular
part of the body where they're located
what is a pathogen? - ANS ✔✔an organism causing disease in a host
colonization - ANS ✔✔pathogenic microbes are present in the body without causing symptoms
or a detectable immune response
subclinical infection - ANS ✔✔that which has only an immune response (increased antibody
level for the microbe) but no symptoms
what does bacterial growth depend on? - ANS ✔✔oxygen, nutrition, light, temperature, and
humidity; most bacteria that inhabit humans grow best at body temperature (98.6 F)
what are rickettsiae? - ANS ✔✔a type of bacteria that must be inside living cells to reproduce;
vectors include infected fleas, ticks, mites, and lice that bite humans; a disease caused by
rickettsiae is Rocky Mountain spotted fever
what are viruses? - ANS ✔✔organisms smaller than bacteria that depend on host cells to live
and reproduce; viruses can immediately trigger disease or remain dormant for years; antibiotics
uneffective against viruses; antiviral drugs used to decrease symptoms and decrease viral load
(the number of viral cells in the patient's body)
, fungi - ANS ✔✔a group of organisms including yeasts, molds, and mushrooms that can produce
highly resistant spores; most are nonpathogenic and serious fungal infections are rare;
antifungal medications treat
what are protozoa? - ANS ✔✔single-celled parasitic organisms with flexible membranes that
live in the soil and obtain nourishment from dead or decaying organic material; infect humans
through: fecal-oral contamination, ingestion of food or water contaminated with cysts or spores,
host-to-host contact, or by the bite of a mosquito or other insect that has previously bitten an
infected person
what are helminths? - ANS ✔✔wormlike parasitic animals (roundworms, flatworms,
tapeworms, pinworms, hookworms, and flukes); disease occurs through skin penetration of
larvae or ingestion of helminth eggs
what is Trichinosis? - ANS ✔✔a disease caused by eating raw or undercooked meat of pigs or
wild animals that contain Trichinella larvae
what are prions? - ANS ✔✔transmissible pathogenic agents that cause abnormal folding of
normal cellular proteins (prion proteins) found mainly in the brain; prion diseases have long
incubation periods, cause no inflammatory response, progress rapidly, and are fatal (Ex.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and mad cow disease)
what does brain damage result from? - ANS ✔✔abnormal folding of prion proteins
list the chain of infection and give examples of each - ANS ✔✔causative agent (bacteria,
rickettsiae, viruses, fungi, protozoa); reservoir (human, animal, soil, water, equipment); portal of
exit (droplets, skin, excretions, placental); mode of transmission (direct: droplet, indirect:
vehicle borne or vector-borne, airborne); portal of entry (skin/mucous membranes, respiratory
tract, GI tract, blood/open lesions, placental); susceptible host (age, immunocompromised,
malnutrition, surgery, burns, chronic diseases, invasive procedures)
