DISEASE AND EPIDEMIOLOGY EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
ANSWERS
propagated spread - ANSWER-occurs through the direct or indirect person-to-person
contact; there is no single source for infection
Descriptive epidemiology - ANSWER-gathers information about a disease outbreak, the
affected individuals, and how the disease has spread over time in an exploratory stage
of study.
Analytical epidemiology - ANSWER-Employs carefully selected groups of individuals in
an attempt to more convincingly evaluate hypotheses about potential causes for a
disease outbreak.
Retrospective studies - ANSWER-Gathers data from the past on present-day cases.
Data can include things like the medical history, age, gender or occupational history.
Prospective studies - ANSWER-follow individual and monitor their disease state during
the course of the study.
Cohort studies - ANSWER-examines groups of individuals (called cohorts) who share a
particular characteristic.
Case-control studies - ANSWER-Typically retrospective and compare a group of
individuals with a disease to a similar group of individuals without the disease.
Cross-sectional study - ANSWER-Analyzes randomly selected individuals in a
population and compares individuals affected by a disease or condition to those
unaffected at a single point in time.
Experimental epidemiology - ANSWER-Uses laboratory or clinical studies in which the
investigator manipulates the study subjects to study the connections between diseases
and potential causative agents or to assess treatments.
Reservoirs - ANSWER-places where pathogens can persist over long period of time.
Passive carrier - ANSWER-Contaminated with the pathogen and can mechanically
transmit it to another host.
Active carrier - ANSWER-an infected individual who can transmit diseases to others and
may or may not exhibit signs or symptoms.
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
ANSWERS
propagated spread - ANSWER-occurs through the direct or indirect person-to-person
contact; there is no single source for infection
Descriptive epidemiology - ANSWER-gathers information about a disease outbreak, the
affected individuals, and how the disease has spread over time in an exploratory stage
of study.
Analytical epidemiology - ANSWER-Employs carefully selected groups of individuals in
an attempt to more convincingly evaluate hypotheses about potential causes for a
disease outbreak.
Retrospective studies - ANSWER-Gathers data from the past on present-day cases.
Data can include things like the medical history, age, gender or occupational history.
Prospective studies - ANSWER-follow individual and monitor their disease state during
the course of the study.
Cohort studies - ANSWER-examines groups of individuals (called cohorts) who share a
particular characteristic.
Case-control studies - ANSWER-Typically retrospective and compare a group of
individuals with a disease to a similar group of individuals without the disease.
Cross-sectional study - ANSWER-Analyzes randomly selected individuals in a
population and compares individuals affected by a disease or condition to those
unaffected at a single point in time.
Experimental epidemiology - ANSWER-Uses laboratory or clinical studies in which the
investigator manipulates the study subjects to study the connections between diseases
and potential causative agents or to assess treatments.
Reservoirs - ANSWER-places where pathogens can persist over long period of time.
Passive carrier - ANSWER-Contaminated with the pathogen and can mechanically
transmit it to another host.
Active carrier - ANSWER-an infected individual who can transmit diseases to others and
may or may not exhibit signs or symptoms.
