Edition By Barry Chess And Kathleen Park Talaro | All
Chapters Verified Question And Answers | Updated
2025/2026 | Graded A+
, Chapter 1 — The Main Themes Of Microbiology
1. A Nursing Student Asks Why Microbiology Is Important To Allied Health
Professionals. Which Reply Best Explains The Primary Reason
Microbiology Is Essential In Clinical Practice?
A. It Provides A Complete List Of All Pathogenic Organisms.
B. It Explains How Microorganisms Cause Disease And How To Prevent
Their Spread.
C. It Teaches Surgical Procedures Required To Treat Infections.
D. It Focuses On Economic Impacts Of Infectious Disease Control.
Answer: B.
Rationale: Microbiology Helps Clinicians Understand Pathogen Biology, Modes
Of Transmission, Host Response, And Prevention/Control Strategies (E.G.,
Asepsis, Vaccines, Antibiotics). Options A, C, And D Are Either Incomplete Or
Irrelevant To Why Microbiology Is Essential In Clinical Care.
2. Which One Of The Following Best Describes The Concept Of
“Emerging Infectious Disease”?
A. A Disease That Is Eradicated Worldwide.
B. An Infection That Becomes Clinically Less Severe Over Time.
C. A Disease That Appears In A Population For The First Time Or
Reappears After A Significant Decline.
D. Any Disease Caused By Viruses Only.
Answer: C.
Rationale: Emerging Infectious Diseases Newly Appear Or Reappear (E.G.,
Ebola, Sars-Cov-2). They Are Not Limited To Viruses And Are Not Eradicated
Diseases.
3. A Patient Develops A Secondary Infection After Influenza Due To
Colonizing Bacteria. Which Term Best Fits The Bacterial Infection?
A. Latent Infection
B. Primary Pathogen
C. Opportunistic Infection
D. Congenital Infection
Answer: C.
,Rationale: An Opportunistic Infection Occurs When Normal Defenses Are
Compromised (Influenza Damages Respiratory Epithelium), Allowing Normally
Non- Invasive Organisms To Cause Disease. Primary Pathogens Cause Disease In
Healthy Hosts; Latent Is Dormant; Congenital Is Present At Birth.
4. Which Of The Following Statements About Normal Microbiota
(Microflora) Is True?
A. They Are Always Harmful And Should Be Eliminated.
B. They Provide Benefits Such As Competitive Exclusion And
Vitamin Production.
C. They Are The Same For Every Human Being.
D. They Only Exist On The Skin.
Answer: B.
Rationale: Normal Microbiota Benefit Hosts By Competitive Exclusion, Vitamin
Synthesis, And Immune System Development. They Vary Between Individuals
And Occur On Many Body Sites (Gut, Skin, Mucosa).
5. A Small Outbreak Of Foodborne Illness Occurred After A Catered
Event. The Instructor Asks What Public Health Role Epidemiology
Played. Which Statement Is Correct?
A. Epidemiology Is Responsible For Treating The Sick.
B. Epidemiology Traces Patterns, Causes, And Control Measures For
Disease In Populations.
C. Epidemiology Only Documents Deaths.
D. Epidemiology Only Studies Chronic Diseases.
Answer: B.
Rationale: Epidemiology Investigates Distribution And Determinants Of Health
Events, Helping Identify Sources (E.G., Contaminated Food), Modes Of
Transmission, And Interventions. It’s Not Limited To Treatment, Deaths, Or
Chronic Disease.
6. Which Characteristic Separates Viruses From Cellular Life?
A. Presence Of DNA Or RNA Genome
B. Capability To Replicate Only Inside A Host Cell
, C. Having A Protein Coat
D. Ability To Evolve
Answer: B.
Rationale: Viruses Are Obligate Intracellular Parasites—They Require Host
Machinery To Replicate. Cellular Life Conducts Independent Metabolism;
Viruses May Have DNA Or RNA And Can Evolve, And Many Have A Protein
Capsid, But Obligate Intracellular Replication Is Defining.
7. A Clinician Hears The Phrase “Infection Does Not Always Equal
Disease.” Which Example Supports That Statement?
A. Symptomatic Influenza Infection In A Patient With Fever.
B. Carriage Of Staphylococcus Aureus In The Anterior Nares Of A
Healthy Person.
C. Death Caused By Sepsis.
D. Severe Pneumonia In An Immunocompromised Patient.
Answer: B.
Rationale: Carriage (Colonization) Shows Infection Without Clinical Disease.
Infection Can Be Asymptomatic; Disease Occurs When Host Damage Or
Symptoms Manifest.
8. Which Of The Following Best Reflects Koch’s Postulates’ Main
Contribution To Microbiology?
A. Measuring Microbial Growth Rates In The Lab.
B. Establishing Criteria To Link A Specific Microorganism To A
Particular Disease.
C. Describing Adaptive Immune Responses.
D. Explaining How Antibiotics Work.
Answer: B.
Rationale: Koch’s Postulates Were Foundational In Demonstrating Causation
Between Microbes And Disease (Isolate Organism, Reproduce Disease In Model,
Re- Isolate). They Do Not Cover Immunity Or Antibiotics.
9. A Newly Discovered Bacterium Is Unable To Be Cultured On Standard
Media But Is Consistently Found In Patients With A Disease. Which
Modern Technique Helps Associate The Bacterium With Disease Despite
Koch’s Postulates