204 Questions On Microbiology

204 questions on Microbiology
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
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1. Which of the following

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extracellular enzymes produced by

Group A streptococci is called
"spreading factor," an enzyme
important in skin and soft tissue
infection?
A. Streptokinase
B. Hyaluronidase
C. M Protein
D. Deoxyribonuclease C
E. None of the above
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Correct Answer: D
2. All of the following statements

about the M-protein of Group A
Streptococci are correct EXCEPT:
A. The amino terminal portion
(distal portion) is variable,
accounting for over 80 distinct
serotypes.
B. M proteins allow streptococci to
resist phagocytosis.
C. Antibodies to M protein confer
type-specific immunity.
D. M protein is the major virulence
factor of Group A streptococci.
E. M protein is the major
constituent of the capsule of
Group A streptococci.
Show answer
Correct Answer: E
3. A 12 year old boy presents with

acute onset of sore throat, fever
to 38.9 degrees C and painful
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anterior cervical
lymphadenopathy. On exam the
pharynx is red and swollen and
the tonsils are covered with
yellow-white exudate. The child
also has halitosis. Which of the
following non-suppurative
complications are of concern?
A. Sinusitis
B. Acute rheumatic fever alone
C. Acute glomerulonephritis alone
D. Acute rheumatic fever and
acute glomerulonephritis
E. Scarlet fever alone
Show answer
Correct Answer: D

statements about Group B
streptococci (Streptococcus
agalactiae) is not correct?
A. They are important causes of
toxic strep syndrome.
B. They are frequent colonizers of
the female genital tract.
C. Screening for this pathogen
during pregnancy has reduced the
incidence of neonatal sepsis.
D. These organisms are bhemolytic.
E. They are important causes of
urinary tract infections and
bacteremia in elderly and diabetic
adults.
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
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statements about the 23-valent
pneumococcal vaccine is not
correct?
A. It is a protein-conjugated,
polysaccharide vaccine.
B. It is poorly immunogenic in
young children and
immunocompromised hosts.
C. It is routinely recommended for
immune competent adults and
children >2 yrs. of age at risk for
serious pneumococcal disease.
D. It protects against the major
serotypes of pneumococci causing
infection.
E. An adult with asplenia would be
a candidate for this vaccine.
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
6. What is the O antigen of

Enterobacteriaceae?
A. Cell surface polysaccharide
B. A channel controlling substance
taken into the organism.
C. A flagellar protein
D. A peptidoglycan matrix
important for cellular rigidity
E. Cell wall lipopolysaccharide
Show answer
Correct Answer: E
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7. All Enterobacteriaceae share all

of the following characteristics
EXCEPT:
A. Ferment glucose
B. Reduce nitrates to nitrites
C. Oxidase positive
D. Gram negative
E. Rod-shaped (bacilli)
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
8. Which of the following virulence

factors of E. coli is important for
attachment to host epithelial cells
in the pathogenesis of urinary
tract infections?
A. Aerobactin
B. Alpha hemolysin
C. Urease
D. K1 antigen
E. Pili
Show answer
Correct Answer: E
9. This urinary pathogen "swarms"

across agar surfaces and may
cause bladder and renal calculi
(stones).
A. Citrobacter freundii
B. Enterobacter aerogenes
C. Serratia marcescens
D. Klebsiella oxytoca
E. Proteus mirabilis
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Show answer
Correct Answer: E

statements regarding
Enterotoxigenic E. coli are
CORRECT?
A. They are important causes of
traveler's diarrhea.
B. Transmission occurs from
ingestion of contaminated food
and water.
C. Disease is caused by production
of one or both of two types of
enterotoxins.
D. None of the above are correct.
E. All of the above are correct.
Show answer
Correct Answer: E
11. R factors:
A. Are small plasmids which
encode resistance to only one type
of antibiotic
B. Contain plasmid elements
(replication origins, incompatibility
determinants, etc.) that were
widespread in the pre-antibiotic
era
C. Represent genetically
engineered cloning vectors which
have escaped into pathogenic
bacteria
D. All of the above are correct
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Show answer
Correct Answer: B
12. Movement of DNA from one

bacteria to another through a
tubular bridge or pilus:
A. Conjugation
B. Transposition
C. Transfection
D. Transduction
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
13. Which statement describing

the potential advantages of DNA
technologies over conventional
culture-based methods is not
true?
A. Greater stability of samples
during transport
B. Potentially more sensitive
detection
C. More complete and accurate
determination of organism
resistance to antibiotics
D. More rapid than culture
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
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14. The polymerase chain reaction

(PCR):
A. Has been adapted for accurate
quantification of viruses
B. May yield false positive results
when amplicons contaminate
clinical samples
C. Offers detection sensitivity
which often but not always
exceeds that of culture
D. All of the above
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
15. Which of the following is not

one of Koch's postulates?
A. The organism is regularly found
in lesions of the disease
B. The organism can be isolated
from diseased tissues in pure
culture on artificial media
C. Inoculation of this pure culture
produces a similar disease in
experimental animals
D. Treatment of the disease with a
broad spectrum oral antimicrobial
dependably eradicates the
organism and cures the disease
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
16. The diagnosis of septicemia

should be considered in patients
who are at increased risk of blood
stream infection (often secondary
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to local disease, such as urinary

tract infection or pneumonia). All
of the following are factors
predisposing patients to
septicemia except:
A. Underlying diseases that appear
to compromise host defenses,
such as diabetes, lymphoma, etc.
B. Patients with a
polymorphonuclear leukocyte
count less than 1000/mm3
C. Patients with
polymorphonuclear leukocyte
counts of 10,000 to 20,000
D. Long term therapy with broadspectrum antimicrobials.
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
17. Physical findings and other

factors that should suggest the
presence of septicemia in a
particular patient are all of the
following except:
A. Shaking chills, spiking fevers
B. Conjunctivitis
C. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
D. In elderly patients, decreased
urine output or mental changes
(confusion)
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
18. The most likely organism to be

causing septicemia depends,
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among other things, on the

patients' personal risk factors
(e.g., their underlying disease), or
lab data (e.g. their leukocyte
count), "community risk factors"
(such as what particular
organisms inhabit the unit on
which they happen to be in the
hospital); and the physical
examination. In a bone marrow
transplant patient with a fever of
104 F, who has a white blood cell
count of 345/mm3, there are
scattered skin lesions comprised
of a central blue area with an
areola of redness (inflammation).
You vaguely remember seeing
such a lesion before in a lecture.
"Ecthyma something or the other"
is the best you can do..."Oh yes,
with the blue, gangrene-like
center, ecthyma gangrenosum,
that's it" is your mental
conversation. In this patient the
most likely organism is:
A. Reimerbacterium deaniium
B. Pseudomonas aeruginosa
C. Flavobacterium aniseum
D. Godzillobacterium resistium
"
$ Log in
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
19. It is extremely difficult to

eradicate staphylococcal infection
in the presence of a foreign body.
Thus, infected artificial joints and
infected intravenous lines often
must be removed in conjunction
with optimal intravenous antistaphylococcal therapy with
oxacillin or nafcillin (sometimes in
combination with rifampin) in
order to eradicate such
staphylococcal infections (and
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these attempts are not always

successful). Staphylococcal
infection of bone may persist for
many years despite what should
be optimal antimicrobial therapy.
The most likely reason for this
tenacity of staphylococcal
osteomyelitis is:
A. The Staphylococcal pilus gene
is up-regulated by oxacillin
B. Fragments of dead bone, called
"involucrum" may act as a foreign
body, and may have to be
removed for optimal eradication of
the staphylococcal infection.
C. Staphylococci may be perceived
by the patient's immune system
as a positive factor, because the
staphylococci produce an
extracellular enzyme,
obtundokinase, which makes the
patient more alert.
D. Staphylococci are such an
integral part of our normal flora
that they are treated as "self"
rather than "non-self", and no
immune reaction to them occurs.
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
20. A 42 year old woman who was

complaining of shaking chills and
fever went to the Salt Lake City
Homeless clinic. She had enlarged
lymph nodes in the right axilla.
"Upstream" from the enlarged
nodes was an ulcer on the top of
the patient's right hand. When
carefully questioned, the patient
said she remembered being bitten
there by an insect resembling a
horsefly, but with yellow stripes on
its abdomen; "Its what we used to
call a deerfly," she added
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laconically. The patient denied any

contact with rats or fleas. The
patient's disease was most likely
to be:
A. Brucellosis
B. Ulcero-glandular tularemia
C. Pneumonic plague
D. Relapsing fever
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
21. A 22 year old female graduate

student who works in a day-care
center comes to the emergency
room where you are on duty. The
woman complains of a sore throat,
which she has had for two days,
and it is not getting any better;
further, in the last ten hours, the
sore throat has been accompanied
by a headache as well as nausea,
and vomiting. On physical
examination you note a BP of
90/65 and a respiratory rate of
30/min; the temperature is 104
degrees F. The neck is supple but
there are tiny red spots distal to
the BP cuff. Considering this
patient's personal risk factors (her
age) and her physical
examination, it is clear that the
most likely organism to be causing
this patient's illness is:
A. Brucella abortus
B. Staphylococcus aureus
C. Neisseria meningitidis
D. Brucella suis
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
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22. A 13 year old boy appears in

your emergency room complaining
of blurred vision and a dry mouth.
His companions say that he has
been muttering about a white
condor that is going to pick him up
and take him to a mountain top.
He was a member of a scout troop
that has been hiking and camping
in the Capitol Reef area of Utah.
On physical examination he is
afebrile, has a rather ruddy
complexion and his pupils are
dilated and fixed. He adamantly
denies eating any canned food or
processed meat, but confesses
that on a "dare" he ate a large
trumpet-like white flower that his
patrol members brought back
from a hike in the desert. The
most likely explanation for his
illness is:
A. A food-borne infection with E.
coli 0157:H7
B. Ingestion of Datura stramonium
with a resulting anticholinergic
and hallucinogenic reaction
C. He has a malignant brain tumor
D. He has been bitten by a brown
recluse spider
Show answer
Correct Answer: B

diseases are not transmitted by
ticks:
A. Ulceroglandular tularemia
B. Bubonic plague
C. Relapsing fever
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D. Lyme disease
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
24. A 20 year old patient comes to

the homeless clinic with a skin
abscess on the right arm. A swab
from the intact skin overlying this
abscess grows coagulase negative
staphylococci. An aspirate
obtained sterilely with a needle
and syringe grows Staphylococcus
aureus. About these 2 organisms
in this patient you can say:
A. Both are normal flora and
contaminated the specimens sent
to the lab
B. The staph aureus is a pathogen
and the coagulase negative staph
is not
C. The coagulase negative
staphylococcus is a pathogen
D. The coagulase negative
staphylococcus is an opportunistic
pathogen
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
25. A person who has a normal

healthy immune system acquires a
new strain of E. coli that now lives
in his gastrointestinal tract. This
individual is not ill. A second
person with an acute leukemia
and no white blood cells acquires
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the same organism, develops

diarrhea followed by hypotension,
bacteremia, sepsis, and death.
This organism is:
A. Normal flora for both
individuals
B. A pathogen for both individuals
C. An opportunistic pathogen for
both individuals
D. One with a low degree of
virulence
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
26. A 25 year old woman has a 4

year old son who is now
recovering from Group A strep
pharyngitis. Out of curiosity, the
pediatrician does a throat culture
on the mother which is positive for
Group A strep even though she
doesn't have a sore throat. The
pediatrician also does an ASO titer
and anti DNAse B assay on her
both of which are negative. At this
point we would say that she:
A. Has asymptomatic infection
B. Has opportunistic infection
C. Is a carrier
D. Is immunosuppressed
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
27. Characteristics of a bacterial

capsule include:
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A. All bacteria have one

B. It is composed of peptidoglycan
C. It is an important mechanism
for protecting a bacteria against
ingestion by PMNs
D. It is what causes the gram
stain reaction
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
28. As a budding basic scientist

you work in a research laboratory
and discover a chemical that
removes the cell wall from
bacteria but leaves the organism
undamaged otherwise. Things that
the bacteria will lose because of
this include:
A. The ability to stain gram
positive: all will look gram
negative
B. The ability to move
C. The ability to have a gram stain
result
D. The ability to attach to other
cells
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
29. Under the electron microscope

you keep at home next to your
MP3 player you look at a single
bacterium living in your mouth.
You see a single polar flagellum
stretching off from one end
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looking very much like a tail. A

characteristic of this organism
should be:
A. An ability to stay in one place
for a very long time
B. An ability to move in the
direction opposite the flagellum
C. An ability to avoid ingestion by
PMNs
D. An ability to induce a large
antibody response
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
30. On the same day the clinical

laboratory identifies two strains of
the same bacterial species. One of
these strains has pili on the
surface; the other does not. In
terms of the clinical status of the
two patients it is likely that:
A. The patient with the piliated
strain is ill, the other patient is not
B. The patient with the piliated
strain is not ill, the other patient is
C. Both patients are ill since pili do
not correlate with virulence
D. The patient with the piliated
strain is a child, the other patient
is an adult
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
31. While you are on your

obstetrics rotation you deliver a
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healthy appearing bouncing baby

boy to a 19 year old mother. Three
days later the baby becomes
lethargic, has a high temperature
and vomits. A lumbar puncture
shows that the infant has bacterial
meningitis. A gram stain of spinal
fluid shows short gram positive
rods. This organism is:
A. Listeria monocytogenes
B. Group B streptococcus
C. Most likely a contaminant
D. Anaerobic
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
32. A 30 year old woman is

admitted to the hospital with a
fever. She was recently diagnosed
with acute leukemia and finished a
course of chemotherapy last week.
As a result of her treatment she
now has essentially no white blood
cells. As part of her workup you
perform 2 blood cultures, a
sputum culture, a urine culture,
and you obtain a chest x-ray. Of
all of these tests, the only positive
result is one blood culture growing
a gram positive bacillus. This
bacillus is:
A. The most likely cause of the
fever
B. Most likely a contaminant
C. An indication that the patient
has meningitis
D. Most likely an organism she
acquired from the hands of a
health care provider the last time
she was in the hospital
Show answer
Page 18 of 76
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Correct Answer: B
33. You are interested in the

microbiology culture results on
one of your patients and come to
the microbiology laboratory to get
an update. The microbiology lab
supervisor tells you that your
patient is growing gram positive
bacilli from both blood cultures
you drew and from a urine
sample. He volunteers that he
doesn't think you ought to worry
since these results aren't likely to
be important. His rationale is:
A. Gram positive bacilli are so rare
that they aren't likely to cause
disease
B. Gram positive bacilli do not
cause urinary tract disease
C. Gram positive bacilli are
common contaminants so cultures
growing them are not of much
value
D. Gram positive bacilli cause
infections that patients usually
resolve without antibiotic therapy,
so there is no need to pursue this
situation further
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
34. A 30 year old male comes to

the hospital complaining of
"stiffness". He was fine until 2
days ago when he started to have
trouble opening his mouth. Later
the same day his neck became
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stiff, and since then he has had

increasing trouble with
respirations. On exam he has a
temperature of 101 degrees, his
pulse is 110, his respirations are
shallow and at 24/minute. His
blood pressure the first time taken
by a nurse was 90/50, but now is
120/80. He appears flushed and is
sweating profusely. He does
appear quite rigid and his face
appears to be in a grimace. His
reflexes are all hyperactive. You
should be worried that this patient
has:
A. Food borne botulism
B. Tetanus
C. Gram negative sepsis
D. Toxin mediated food poisoning
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
35. Infections caused by

anaerobes are:
A. Usually confined to the
abdomen
B. Never seen in the lung because
of its excellent blood supply
C. Mixed
D. Rapidly progressive
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
36. The laboratory reports that

both blood cultures that are drawn
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from a 15 year old girl are

growing Bacteroides fragilis. She
was admitted to the hospital
because of acute abdominal pain.
You should be concerned that:
A. She has acute gastroenteritis
and the organism is entering the
blood from the inflamed bowel
endothelial surface
B. She has a bowel perforation
and intraabdominal tissue
destruction with impaired vascular
flow
C. She has gram negative sepsis
and the Bacteroides is a
contaminant
D. She has pelvic inflammatory
disease with gonorrhea, a sexually
transmitted disease, and the
Bacteroides is a contaminant
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
37. Anaerobic infections are:

A. Often continuous to mucosal
surfaces
B. Associated with highly
vascularized tissue
C. Gram negative
D. Most likely to occur in the lung
with its high oxygen level
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
38. Specific organisms that are

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considered strict anaerobes

include:
A. E. coli and Streptococcus
pneumoniae
B. Bacteroides and Klebsiella
C. Fusobacterium and Clostridium
D. Peptostreptococcus and
Nocardia
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
39. The single most important

characteristic of diarrhea caused
by Vibrio cholera is:
A. Profound watery diarrhea
B. Severe abdominal pain
C. Massive bloody diarrhea
D. Renal insufficiency
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
40. A 15 year old boy comes in to

clinic with pain in his right ear. He
is on his school swim team and
spends about 2 hours per day in
the pool. Along with the pain in his
ear, he has watery drainage
coming from the ear canal. On
exam his vital signs are normal,
and he appears healthy, but his
left external ear looks quite red
and there is copious watery,
slightly green drainage coming
from the ear. The organism mostly
likely causing this is:
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A. Staph aureus
B. Viridans group streptococci
C. Streptococcus pneumoniae
D. Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
41. Helicobacter pylori:

A. Is the presumed cause of colon
cancer
B. Is the cause of most cases of
acute food poisoning in the U.S.
C. Is the cause of about 90% of
peptic ulcers in the U.S.
D. Is urease negative
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
42. Nonfermentative gram

negative bacilli are:
A. Strict aerobes
B. Catalase negative
C. Beta-hemolytic on sheep blood
agar
D. Spore forming
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
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43. The normal habitats of

nonfermentative bacteria include
the following except:
A. Contact lens solutions
B. Hospital water sources
C. House plants
D. Reptiles
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
44. A 45 year old woman is

admitted to the hospital with
acute chest pain. On the second
hospital day it is clear that she has
had a myocardial infarction.
Unfortunately, on the same day
she develops acute diarrhea. A
stool culture grows Salmonella.
This infection is:
A. Hospital acquired
B. Nosocomial
C. Iatrogenic
D. Community acquired
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
45. A common type of nosocomial

infection is:
A. Urinary tract infection
B. Meningitis
C. Cellulitis
D. Gastroenteritis
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Show answer
Correct Answer: A
46. You receive a urine culture

report from the laboratory on a 45
year old patient who is a
quadriplegic with an indwelling
urinary tract catheter. The urine
culture is growing >100,000
oxidase positive gram negative
bacilli. The most likely organism
is:
A. E. coli
B. Enterococcus
C. Klebsiella
D. Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
47. An important means of

preventing hospital acquired
infections is:
A. For health care workers to wash
their hands between patient
contacts
B. For all patients to be placed in
single rooms
C. For all patients to receive a
single dose of antibiotics at the
time of admission
D. An infection control program
with one nurse for every 100
patients in the hospital
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Show answer
Correct Answer: A
48. Each of the following

statements concerning Q fever is
correct EXCEPT:
A. Rash is a prominent feature
B. It is transmitted by respiratory
aerosol
C. Sheep and cattle are in
important reservoir
D. It is caused by Coxiella burnetii
Show answer
Correct Answer: A

statements concerning epidemic
typhus is correct EXCEPT:
A. The disease is characterized by
a rash that begins on the trunk
and moves distally.
B. The recrudescent form of the
disease is called Brill-Zinsser
C. The disease is caused by
Rickettsia typhi
D. The causative organism is
transmitted to humans by lice
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
Page 26 of 76
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statements is true concerning Q
fever:
A. The organism is transmitted by
fleas
B. Headache, fever, and petechial
rash are characteristic features of
the disease
C. The chronic disease is call BrillZinsser
D. The disease is caused by
Coxiella burnetii
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
51. Which of the following is true

regarding Rickettsia rickettsii:
A. Highest attack rates occur in
Colorado and Utah
B. It can be transmitted by flying
squirrels
C. Sheep and cattle are important
reservoirs
D. It is transmitted by ticks
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
52. Which of the following is not

transmitted by ticks:
A. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
B. Ehrlichiosis
C. Rickettsia rickettsii
D. Q fever
Page 27 of 76
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Show answer
Correct Answer: D

statements concerning Bartonella
henselae is correct:
A. Causes Trench Fever
B. Causes Bacillary Angiomatosis
in AIDS patients
C. Causes Oroya Fever
D. Causes Veruga Peruana
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
54. The lesions of bacillary

angiomatosis in AIDS patients are
very similar to the
hemangiomatous nodules caused
by:
A. Rickettsia prowazekii
B. Ehrlichia chaffeensis
C. Bartonella bacilliformis
D. Coxiella burnetii
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
55. Which of the following is

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transmitted by lice:
A. Rickettsia prowazekii
B. Rickettsia typhi
C. Rickettsia rickettsii
D. Rickettsia tsutsugamushi
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
56. A Utah congressman went to

Japan as part of a delegation
trying to sell the Great Basin
National Park to the Japanese so
that a Japanese mulching
company can convert the 3000year-old bristlecone pines in the
Utah park into mulch for window
boxes. About six weeks after some
intense entertaining of the
American delegation by the
Japanese, the congressman
develops a low-grade fever and a
red-brown macular rash on the
palms of his hand and the soles of
his feet. He comes to your clinic
for evaluation of the rash. He has
only vague memory of a tea
ceremony involving attractive
young Japanese women. Which of
the following actions is entirely
without a rational basis in this
medical situation and/or would not
reflect good wisdom on your part:
A. You put on gloves to exam the
rash further, and wear the gloves
to examine the patient's mouth.
B. You order a serologic test for
which the antigen is a nonorganism-specific cardiolipin. If
the previous test is positive, you
may want to confirm it with an
organism-specific test like the T.
pallidum FTA-ABS test.
C. You tell the patient not to have
unprotected sex with anyone until
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the results of the serologic test in

B are available.
D. You tell the patient that this
rash is most likely the initial
manifestation of an infection that
is likely to progress quickly, so
immediate IV antibiotics are
necessary
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
57. A 34 year-old geologist who

works with an oil-exploration team
in Central America comes to your
clinic three weeks after returning
from a trip to a dry, prairie-dog
rich part of Central America. He
remembers removing a tick from
his leg four days before his
departure from Central America,
and having his first shaking chill
on the plane home. He soon had a
series of shaking chills, followed
by fever for four days, and before
he could get medical care, the
fever and chills spontaneously
resolved (went away) only to
return for four days, then
disappear again. His physical
exam reveals no rash or
organomegaly (enlarged organs
such as liver or spleen), but he
has a temperature of 104.8o F. As
part of the patient's work up, you
order a complete blood count. The
technician doing the count calls
you because there is a long
curvaceous bacterium among the
red blood cells on the smear of
your patient's blood. The most
likely cause of your patient's fever
is:
A. Treponema pertinue, causing
"yaws"
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B. Borrelia recurrentis causing

"relapsing fever"
C. Treponema pallidum causing
secondary syphilis
D. Treponema carateum causing
"Pinta"
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
58. Which of the following is the

metabolically active form of
Chlamydia trachomatis?
A. Elementary body
B. Jolley body
C. Extracellular body
D. Reticulate body
Show answer
Correct Answer: D

pathogens is unlikely to be a
cause of nongonococcal urethritis?
A. Ureaplasma urealyticum
B. Chlamydia trachomatis
C. Mycoplasma hominis
D. Mycoplasma genitalium
E. Chlamydia pneumoniae
Show answer
Correct Answer: E
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60. A 24-year-old pigeon fancier

presents with fever to 40 degrees
C, severe, diffuse headache,
malaise, dry hacking cough and
muscle aches. Lung exam reveals
bilateral crackles and there is
hepatosplenomegaly. The most
likely pathogen causing this man's
infection is:
A. Mycoplasma pneumoniae
B. Chlamydia pneumoniae
C. Chlamydia psittaci
D. Franciscella tularensis
E. Legionella pneumophila
Show answer
Correct Answer: C

statements concerning Chlamydia
trachomatis infections is NOT
correct?
A. Serology is the diagnostic test
of choice in the diagnosis of acute
infection.
B. 50% of infants born to infected
mothers during labor develop
infections.
C. Tetracycline's are useful for
treatment of C. trachomatis
infections.
D. The clinical spectrum of C.
trachomatis sexually transmitted
diseases is similar to N.
gonorrhoea
E. e. Endemic trachoma is a major
cause of blindness worldwide.
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Show answer
Correct Answer: A

statements regarding
mycoplasmas is NOT correct?
A. Mycoplasmas are the smallest
free-living micro-organisms.
B. Mycoplasmas are resistant to
cell wall active antibiotics.
C. Mycoplasmas are common
commensals of the respiratory and
urogenital tracts.
D. Mycoplasmas stain well with
the Gram's stain.
E. Mycoplasmas grow slowly on
enriched media.
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
63. Which of the following is the

most common clinical syndrome
associated with Mycoplasma
pneumoniae?
A. Hemolytic anemia
B. Lobar pneumonia
C. Tracheobronchitis
D. Bullous myringitis
E. Percarditis
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
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pathogens causes invasive joint
disease in immuno-compromised
hosts?
A. Mycoplasma pneumoniae
B. Mycoplasma hominis
C. Ureaplasma urealyticum
D. Chlamydia pneumoniae
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
65. Which of the following are

characteristics that are shared by
Mycoplasma hominis and
Ureaplasma urealyticum?
A. Both cause post-partum fever.
B. Ampicillin would be a
reasonable choice for treatment.
C. Both organisms are identified
by production of urease.
D. Both stimulate production of
cold agglutinins.
E. Both organisms grow well on
sheep blood agar.
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
66. A 4-year-old child comes to

the emergency room with a sore
throat, difficulty swallowing, and
difficulty breathing. On exam
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there is obvious difficulty each

time the child tries to take in a
breath with sounds suggesting
obstruction. A lateral neck x-ray
shows a swollen epiglottis. The
organism most likely to cause this
syndrome is:
A. Neisseria meningitidis
B. Group A streptococcus
C. Haemophilus influenzae
D. Candida albicans
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
67. The major virulence factor of

Haemophilus influenzae type b is:
A. Its surface pili
B. Its surface polysaccharides
C. Its cell wall
D. Its cell membrane
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
68. Important in the laboratory

detection of Haemophilus
influenzae is that it is:
A. Beta hemolytic on sheep blood
agar
B. Catalase positive
C. Anaerobic
D. Fastidious
Show answer
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Correct Answer: D
69. A common characteristic of

Capnocytophaga, Moraxella, and
Eikenella is that they:
A. Are anaerobic
B. Are part of the normal flora of
the upper respiratory tract
C. Cause urinary tract infections
D. Are gram positive
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
70. A common characteristic of

Legionella species is that they:
A. Are gram positive rods
B. Are acid fast
C. Require supplemental
ingredients to grow them in
laboratory media
D. Are extracellular pathogens
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
71. Most humans become infected

with legionella by:
A. A water source
B. By tick exposure
C. By mosquito exposure
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D. By direct contact with another

person who is infected
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
72. Legionella infection is more

common in patients who:
A. Are smokers with COPD
B. Are diabetics
C. Are premature infants
D. Are patients on broad spectrum
antibiotics
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
73. A 30-year-old patient comes

to clinic complaining of a threeweek history of cough. He started
with a runny nose, fever and
sneezing for a few days followed
by a dramatic cough that keeps
him up at night. He complains of
episodes of coughing where he will
have "fits" of coughing with 10-15
coughs during one exhalation to
the point that he is afraid that he
will never be able to take in a
breath. These coughing episodes
are so severe that his ribs are
extremely sore. An organism you
should consider would be:
A. Staph aureus
B. Tuberculosis
C. Bordetella pertussis
D. Haemophilus influenzae
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Show answer
Correct Answer: C
74. An important characteristic of

mycobacteria is that they are:
A. Gram negative
B. Rapid growing (doubling time
15 minutes)
C. Acid fast
D. Alpha hemolytic
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
75. You would expect the time

course of a typical patient with
reactivation tuberculosis before
they reach a point requiring
hospitalization to take:
A. A few hours
B. 4 to 5 days
C. 1-2 weeks
D. Several weeks
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
76. Symptoms of reactivation

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tuberculosis include:
A. Weight loss
B. Hypotension
C. Nausea and vomiting
D. Headache
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
77. A 30 year old patient with

advanced HIV infection (AIDS) is
admitted to the hospital with a
high fever. Blood cultures are
performed and you receive a
report from the laboratory that
they are growing a mycobacteria.
The one that is most likely is:
A. Mycobacterium leprae
B. Mycobacterium avium
C. Mycobacterium kansasii
D. Mycobacterium marinum
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
78. An important characteristic of

all fungal infections is that:
A. They are usually transmitted
from person to person
B. They are usually simple and
straightforward to treat
C. They cause serious disease in
debilitated, and/or
immunocompromised patients
D. They are usually mixed
infections with a combination of
fungi and bacteria in the same
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tissue site
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
79. Some fungi have two different

morphological forms, yeast and
molds. If they do, it is likely that:
A. The yeast form appears in the
environment, the mold form in
tissue
B. The mold form appears in the
environment, the yeast form in
tissue
C. Both forms appear in tissue
D. Neither form appears in tissue
since these are nonpathogenic
organisms
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
80. A 30 year old patient with

advanced HIV infection comes into
clinic complaining that food is
sticking in the back of his throat
and in his chest when he tries to
swallow. You look in his mouth
and see patches of whitish
material on the surface that can
easily be removed and leaves a
red base. The organism most
likely to cause this is:
A. Histoplasma
B. Candida albicans
C. Group A strep
D. Strongyloides
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Show answer
Correct Answer: B
81. The infection most often

associated with Cryptococcus
neoformans is:
A. Septic arthritis
B. Sinusitis
C. Pneumonia
D. Meningitis
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
82. The usual initiating event

when infection occurs with a
fungus is for:
A. The patient to ingest it from
meat
B. The patient to ingest it from
water
C. The patient to acquire it from
another person
D. The patient to inhale it
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
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83. A 20 year old college student

is part of an archeological team
traveling to northeastern Arizona
to help excavate Indian ruins. One
month after returning she
develops a flu-like illness with
cough, myalgias, and low grade
fever. A chest x-ray shows a small
localized infiltrate in the right mid
lung field. An organism to consider
would be:
A. Histoplasma
B. Coccidioides
C. Legionella
D. Brucella
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
84. A 22 year old diabetic with

poor control of blood glucoses
comes into clinic with a 2 month
history of nasal congestion and
low grade fever. Over the past 3
days he has also had a painful
right eye-it hurts to look from side
to side. In addition he feels that
his vision is impaired now in that
eye. On exam his right eye
appears red and swollen and
seems to be pushed forward. His
nasal mucosa on that side appears
dark and almost necrotic. You
should be worried about:
A. A zygomycete infection
B. Toxic shock syndrome
C. Meningococcemia
D. Trachoma
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
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85. The most likely infection to

occur following exposure to
Sporothrix is:
A. A urinary tract infection
B. Pneumonia
C. Meningitis
D. An ulcerating skin lesion
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
86. Each of the following parasites

pass through the human lung at
some time during their life cycle
but only one establishes a home
where it divides and causes a
chronic disease state. Which one
lives in the lung as a definitive
host?
A. Strongyloides stercoralis
B. Wuchereria bancrofti
C. Ancylostoma duodenale
D. Paragonimus westermani
E. Ascaris lumbricoides
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
87. Each of the following is true

regarding Pneumocystis carinii.
Which statement is false?
A. It lives as a commensal in most
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humans
B. It is a common cause of
community acquired pneumonia
C. It is an AIDS defining illness in
patients with HIV
D. It caused pneumonia in
malnourished children after World
War II
E. The most sensitive way of
making the diagnosis is with a
direct immunoflourescence stain
on sputum or Bronchoalveolar
lavage
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
88. A 44-year-old native Nigerian

who has lived in the USA for 10
years returned to visit his family
in Africa and now presents with a
history of shaking chills, followed
by high fever and then profuse
sweating. He states that this is the
most severe case of malaria he
has ever had. His blood smear
shows malaria organisms
consistent with Plasmodium
falciparum. Which of the following
statements is false regarding P.
falciparum?
A. His symptoms are more severe
this time because he has lost
some of the immunity that comes
with frequent recurrences of
malaria
B. Taking appropriate prophylactic
medication has an 80-90% chance
of preventing P. falciparum malaria
C. P. falciparum causes organ
damage in the brain, lungs, and
kidneys because of adhesion of
infected red cells to the
endothelium of the capillaries
which impairs the microcirculation
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to these organs
D. P. falciparum gametocytes are
ameboid shaped
E. Plasmodium falciparum has the
highest mortality rate of the four
malaria species
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
89. This July a group of 30

volunteers went to Kenya to help
build a school and all of them took
prophylaxis to prevent malaria.
They claim that they took the
medication as prescribed 2 weeks
before, during their stay, and for 4
weeks after returning home. In
October, one person developed
malaria and by April of this year, 9
of the 30 volunteers had been
treated for malaria. Which of the
following is the least likely
explanation for this apparent
failure of prevention?
A. This is most likely P. vivax or
ovale which have a latent stage in
their life cycle that persists in the
liver and can result in disease
weeks to months after exposure
B. Most of the medication used for
prophylaxis of malaria acts only on
the red blood cell stage of the
infection
C. This could be P. malariae which
is known to result in a more
chronic malaria state
D. This could be P. falciparum that
was not completely treated by the
prophylaxis
E. The nine who got malaria must
not have taken the medication as
prescribed since this should have
prevented malaria
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Show answer
Correct Answer: E

statements (except one) is true
regarding malaria. Which one is
false?
A. Once someone has malaria
infection, they will have it for the
rest of their life in spite of
treatment
B. All persons who contract P.
vivax malaria have Duffy Antigen
present on their red blood cells
C. Persons with sickle cell trait or
disease are more resistant to
serious malaria
D. Schuffner's dots in red cell
cytoplasm are most consistent
with P. vivax or ovale malaria
E. One way to help diagnose P.
malariae is to carefully record the
pattern of symptoms since it is the
only species to have a 72 hour
interval of symptoms
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
91. A 42-year old patient from

Ecuador is admitted with fever,
right upper abdominal pain and is
found to have a cystic mass of the
liver. You suspect an amebic
abscess and order stool exams
that are reported as positive for E.
histolytica and an ameba serology
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is positive at 1:256. Which

statement is false regarding
ameba?
A. He should be treated with two
medications. One to kill the active
trophozoites and a second to kill
the cysts.
B. Transmission is by fecal-oral
means
C. Amebic liver abscess can
usually be treated with medication
and do not need to be drained
D. Transmission to a new person is
generally done by the more
resistant cyst form of the life cycle
E. Aspirate from liver cysts can be
used to make the diagnosis
because they are loaded with
white blood cells and E. histolytica
cysts
Show answer
Correct Answer: E
92. A 30-year old patient is

evaluated for chronic diarrhea that
has gone on for 4 months with a
20-pound weight loss. By history
you find that he has had sex with
men for 12 years. You are
concerned about the possibility of
HIV and his test is positive with a
low CD4 count that makes you
think of immunodeficiency. You
order a test for Cryptosporidium in
his stool. Which of the following
statements is false regarding
Cryptosporidium:
A. Most people who have this
organism are symptomatic
B. Person to person transmission
is common and it is seen
frequently in outbreaks in daycare
centers
C. It is fairly resistant to chlorine
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treatment in municipal water

treatment centers and is a
recognized cause of waterborne
outbreaks of diarrhea
D. It is frequently associated with
systemic symptoms of fever, chills
and bloody diarrhea
E. It has been difficult to treat in
immunocompromised patients and
usually persists for the duration of
the patient's life
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
93. You see a 20-year old female

for complaints of vaginal itching,
discharge, pain with intercourse
and discomfort with urination. She
has had 3 different sexual
partners over the past 2 years. As
part of your workup, you do a wet
mount of vaginal secretions and
see a flagellated organism about
the size of a white blood cell with
"twitching motility" that makes
you think of Trichomonas
vaginalis. Which statement is false
regarding Trichomonas?
A. Men are most likely
asymptomatic but efficient
transmitters of this organism
B. The cyst form of the life cycle is
the most common method of
transmission
C. Simultaneous treatment of the
patient and her sexual contacts
will decrease the chance of
recurrences
D. In severe cases the regional
mucosa may be red with petechial
lesions and the cervix has been
described as a "strawberry cervix"
E. Patients found to have
Trichomonas should be evaluated
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for other venereal transmitted

diseases
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
94. A 22-year old college student

is seen because he has had severe
chronic diarrhea and a stool for
O&P is positive for Giardia lamblia.
He has lost 50 pounds in weight
and has been treated for Giardia
on 6 occasions only to have it
reoccur. You are concerned that he
has an immunodeficiency and lab
results demonstrate a very low
IgA level. Which of the following
statements would be false
regarding Giardia?
A. It is one of the causes of H2S
or rotten egg gas
B. It is often a self-limiting disease
C. A weight loss of 50 pounds due
to Giardia is very unusual
D. You are not surprised when 5 of
11 dorm mates are found to have
Giardia because it is spread from
person to person easily
E. It often results in iron
deficiency anemia due to
gastrointestinal blood loss
Show answer
Correct Answer: E
95. This year there have been 7

travelers to eastern Africa that
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have contracted Trypanosoma

brucei rhodesiense. They have all
presented in the early stage of the
disease with a "chancre" of the
skin associated with cellulitis (red
hot swelling) around the chancre.
Which of the following is false
regarding Trypanosoma brucei?
A. Progression of the disease is
more rapid in rhodesiense than in
gambiense
B. Early diagnosis allows for a
more effective, safer medication
that can be used before the
parasite reaches the brain
C. Rhodesiense has multiple hosts
while in gambiense, humans are
the only host
D. Epidemics of African sleeping
sickness have occurred by person
to person spread
E. Both are transmitted by the
Tsetse fly
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
96. Blood banks in Southern

California and Texas have done
studies to evaluate how often
blood containing Trypansoma cruzi
is found in their blood donor pool.
They have found that the
incidence varies between 1:8,000
to 1:40,000 donors. If you were
making up a list of questions to
ask blood donors, which of the
following questions would be least
helpful in screening to exclude this
organism from persons that have
grown up in an endemic area?
A. Have you ever been bitten by a
reduvid bug?
B. Have you ever eaten pigs,
dogs, or other animals that are
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reservoir hosts for Chaga's

disease?
C. Have you lived in an adobe hut
with a thatched roof?
D. Have you ever had swelling of
your eye that lasted more than 3
days?
E. Have you ever had a blood test
positive for Chaga's disease?
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
97. This year a report from India

indicates that a single dose of
Amphotericin B can result in the
cure of Leishmania donovani
rather than prolonged treatment
by fairly toxic medication. If
confirmed this will be a major
advance in the treatment of Kalaazar. Which of the following
statements is false regarding
systemic Leishmaniasis?
A. It is spread by the bite of the
sand fly
B. Macrophages ingest the
organism and move about the
body facilitating its spread
C. Diagnosis can often be made by
identifying amastigotes in cells
aspirated from the spleen or bone
marrow
D. Untreated patients frequently
recover on their own
E. Kala-azar should be considered
as one of the possibilities in
someone who has lived in an
endemic area and has an enlarged
spleen
Show answer
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Correct Answer: D
98. You have just examined a

patient from Brazil who has a
chronic ulcer of his ear that has
been present for 6 months. You
are concerned that he has
Leishmaniasis and want to
differentiate L. mexicana from L.
braziliensis. Which of the following
statements about these 2
organisms is false?
A. They are both transmitted by
the sand fly
B. Both appear as amastigotes in
macrophages on biopsy
C. Both can start as a cutaneous
ulcer that eventually heals on its
own
D. Both heal with a residual scar
E. Both will eventually cause
lesions of the mucous membranes
Show answer
Correct Answer: E
99. Several years ago there was

an outbreak of Trichinosis among
a group of Vietnam immigrants in
New York that had made their own
pork sausage. About 30 people
who ate the sausage all become
ill. Which of the following
statements is false about
Trichinella spiralis?
A. It can be spread by eggs
passed in the stool
B. It is a tissue nematode that
induces a high eosinophil response
C. It is a disease of meat eating
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animals
D. It is usually self limiting
E. Heavy infection causes
symptoms of diarrhea and
abdominal pain that progresses to
fever, facial and periorbital edema
and myalgias
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
100. You see a young child for

evaluation of fever, abdominal
pain, enlarged liver and
eosinophilia. You suspect
toxocariasis from Toxacara canis
or cati. Which of the following
statements is false about
Toxocara?
A. It can result in retinal lesions
that can impair vision
B. It is caused by the larvae of the
"dog or cat ascaris" that wander
through the body unable to find
the lung to complete their life
cycle
C. It is associated with persons
who eat dirt
D. It can be spread by contact
with human feces
E. It is often found in young
puppies or kittens
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
101. A 4th year medical student

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from the UofU traveled to

Northern Ghana during an
international rotation to Accra. He
was fortunate enough to see a
patient with Dracunculus
medinensis in which they were
extracting a worm from his leg
onto a pencil. This parasite is
being eradicated from the world.
Which of the following is least
likely to help rid the world of
Dracunculus medinensis?
A. Boiling surface water before
drinking it
B. Using a coffee filter or shirt to
filter out copepods before drinking
surface water
C. Treating of sewage before it
enters fresh surface water
D. Preventing persons suspected
of having Dracunculus from
wading in the drinking water
E. Treating ponds used for
drinking water with insecticide
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
102. A 74-year old World War II

Veteran who was a prisoner of war
in the Philippines is admitted to
the VAH with a Group A
Streptococcal cellulitis resulting
from massive swelling of both
lower legs from elephantiasis.
regarding elephantiasis caused by
Wuchereria bancrofti?
A. If these infections are not
treated early they rapidly progress
to massive swelling of the involved
lymphatic drainage area
B. It is transmitted to humans by
the mosquito
C. Humans are the definitive host
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D. The microfilaria in the blood

stream of man can be transfused
to another person without
establishing a new infection
E. The adult organisms live in the
lymphatic channels of man and
can result in scarring of the
Lymphatic channels
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
103. An ophthalmologist from

Cameroon, Africa describes the
microfilaria seen in the eye of
patients with Onchocerciasis. He
states that he treats only after
finding 30+ microfilaria because of
the toxicity of DiethylCarbamazine that was used for
treatment. Now with a less toxic
agent, (Ivermectin) a major
attempt is being made to
eradicate Onchocerca volvulus.
Which statement is false regarding
Onchocerca volvulus?
A. It is transmitted by the
Simulian Black fly that reproduces
in rapidly moving water
B. Itching of the skin is a
prominent feature of this disease
C. The adults live in a nodule on
the skin with the female producing
large numbers of microfilaria that
migrate under the skin
D. Diagnosis can sometimes be
made by finding the microfilaria in
a skin snip or skin biopsy
E. The microfilaria mate in the
human skin and develop into the
adult parasite
Show answer
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Correct Answer: E
104. Itching around the rectum is

commonly caused by the
pinworm, Enterobius vermicularis.
regarding pinworms?
A. It has a simple rectum to
mouth life cycle (do not scratch
your bum and suck your thumb)
B. Diagnosis is best made by a
stool O&P exam
C. It is highly contagious infecting
a number of members of a family
at the same time
D. Spread can be prevented by
good hygiene
E. The egg is oval, flat on one side
and contains a single larvae folded
over like a safety pin
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
105. Trichuris trichiura or

whipworm is a frequent parasite
found in humans. Which of the
following is false for Trichuris
trichiura?
A. Heavy infestations may result
in diarrhea sometimes associated
with blood
B. Light infections may be
asymptomatic
C. The eggs have a barrel-like
appearance with bipolar plugs
D. After ingestion the eggs hatch
into larvae that migrate through
the lung before maturing in the
Page 56 of 76
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duodenum
E. The eggs passed in stool are
unembryonated, so they require a
time to mature in the soil before
they become infectious
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
106. In the 1920's, the Rockefeller

Foundation funded a physician to
go throughout the Pacific Islands
to decrease the incidence of
hookworm. Each of the following
but one would help decrease the
incidence of this disease. Which
one would not make any change in
incidence of Ancylostoma
duodenale or Necator americanus?
A. Wearing shoes
B. Washing hands after using the
bathroom
C. Using latrines for defecation
D. Treating those found to be
infected
E. Establishing sewage treatment
facilities
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
107. An elderly Tongan male was

diagnosed with multiple myeloma
(a form of cancer) and has been
treated with chemotherapy agents
for two months. He was then
admitted to the hospital with newhttp://www.valuemd.com/usmle-step-1-forum/19357-204-questions-microbiology.html
Page 57 of 76
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onset asthma symptoms that

became worse when he was
treated with steroids. Many small
larvae were found in his sputum
and he was found to have a
hyper-infection with Strongyloides
stercoralis. Which statement is
false regarding Strongyloides?
A. Strongyloides is a common
cause of iron deficiency anemia
just like hookworm
B. The initial infection occurs when
larvae penetrate the skin from the
soil
C. Auto infection occurs when the
ova hatch and mature in the
intestinal tract and then penetrate
the intestine to establish a
persistent infection
D. Eosinophilia is present during
the migrating phase of the life
cycle
E. Recurrent bacterial infections
can develop when bacteria are
carried by the larvae into sterile
areas of the body
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
108. A physician calls from an

outlying hospital to report that his
patient has passed a large, white,
round worm with pointed ends
that is about 8 inches long. He is
concerned this could be
Echinococcus but the only parasite
that matches this description is
Ascaris lumbricoides. Which of the
following is false regarding Ascaris
lumbricoides?
A. Most infected humans are
asymptomatic
B. Large numbers of larvae
passing through the lung can
Page 58 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
cause asthma type symptoms

C. Large numbers of adult worms
in the gut can cause obstruction
D. The fertilized unembryonated
egg passed in the stool requires a
period of time to embryonate
before it becomes infectious
E. Heavy infection has been
associated with rectal prolapse
Show answer
Correct Answer: E
109. Humans are the definitive

host for Diphyllobothrium latum or
the fish tapeworm which competes
for Vitamin B12 with its human
host. Vitamin B12 deficiency can
result in an anemia with
production of very large red blood
cells, called macrocytic anemia. All
of the following would prevent the
spread of this disease but one.
Which one would not be a method
of prevention?
A. Avoid swimming in fresh waters
that are endemic for
Diphyllobothrium latum
B. Cook freshwater fish well before
eating
C. Freeze fish that is going to be
consumed raw which will kill the
parasite
D. Provide sewage treatment
plants that treat raw sewage
before dumping it into fresh water
E. Avoid eating fresh water fish
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
Page 59 of 76
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110. Taenia saginata and Taenia

solium are similar in many ways,
but Taenia solium is more
dangerous. Which of the following
makes T. solium more dangerous?
A. It has an armed scolex
B. It has fewer uterine branches
than T. saginata
C. Man can be infected as an
intermediate host by eating the
eggs from T. solium
D. The cyst or larvae form
ingested from pork is more potent
than the cyst from beef
E. It produces more eggs than T.
saginata
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
111. A 22-year old Tibetan female

is found to have a large
multiloculated cyst of the pelvis
that is removed and found to be
due to Echinococcus granulosus.
This is most unusual since most
cysts occur in the liver or lung.
regarding Echinococcus
granulosus?
A. The diagnosis in humans can be
made by looking for the eggs in
human stool
B. Dogs are the definitive host
C. Sheep are intermediate hosts
D. Humans are incidental hosts
E. Humans contract disease from
eating the eggs excreted in dog
feces
Page 60 of 76
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Show answer
Correct Answer: A
112. A student returns from a

student teaching assignment in
Zimbabwe. On the way home she
swam in Lake Malawi. She is found
to have schistosomiasis. Four of
the following answers are good
advice on how to prevent
schistosomiasis. Which one is bad
advice?
A. In risk areas, don't swim in
fresh water rivers or lakes
B. Swimming in chlorinated pools
is safe
C. Swimming in ocean salt water
is safe
D. Toweling off vigorously after
contact with potentially
contaminated water decreases
your risk
E. Wading in water up to your
knees is safe for brief periods of
time
Show answer
Correct Answer: E
113. A Chinese male has had right

upper quadrant pain for the past
10 years. Workup for gallbladder
disease with an ultrasound shows
small linear organisms. O&P exam
reveals the ovoid, flask shaped
egg of Clonorchis sinensis. Which
of the following statements is false
regarding Clonorchis sinensis?
Page 61 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
A. It is also called the oriental liver

fluke
B. Man is a definitive host
C. This infection can best be
treated with surgical removal of
the gallbladder
D. There are two intermediate
hosts - the snail and the fish
E. Long-term infection has been
associated with
cholangiocarcinoma (cancer of the
bile duct)
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
114. The major groups of

arthropod-borne viruses include
A. Togaviruses, Flaviviruses, and
Bunyaviruses,
B. Togaviruses, Rhabdoviruses,
Reoviruses
C. Reoviruses, Enteroviruses,
Rhabdoviruses
D. Retroviruses, Enteroviruses,
Togaviruses
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
115. The major pathological

features in Yellow Fever include
A. Midzonal hepatic necrosis and
Councilman bodies
B. Midzonal hepatic necrosis and
Negri bodies
C. Glomerular and renal papillary
Page 62 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
necrosis
D. Midzonal hepatic necrosis and
diffuse encephalitis
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
116. The pathogenesis of dengue

hemorrhagic shock syndrome is
distinguished from that of
uncomplicated dengue by
A. Excitotoxic injury of neurons
B. Development of dengue virus
meningiits
C. Immune enhancement of
infection
D. Neurotropic spread of virus
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
117. Rabies reaches the central

nervous system by
A. Hematogenous distribution
B. Neurotropic spread
C. Entry into brain within
macrophages
D. Both "A" and "B"
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
Page 63 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
118. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is

caused by
A. JC virus
B. Pumuula virus
C. Prions
D. SV40 virus
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
119. Rabies virus produces

infection of
A. Astrocytes
B. Oligodendrocytes
C. Neurons
D. Macrophages
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
120. The most frequent cause of

viral meningitis in the United
States is
A. Enteroviruses
B. Rhabdoviruses
C. California/Lacrosse virus
D. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis
virus
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
Page 64 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
121. Common symptoms of

hepatitis include:
A. Fever, nausea, diarrhea
B. Malaise, anorexia, jaundice
C. Nausea, vomiting, right upper
quadrant abdominal pain
D. Clear urine, dark colored stools,
anorexia
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
122. Hepatitis A can be

transmitted by:
A. Changing diapers on an
infected baby
B. Having sex with someone who
is infected
C. Eating cooked meat
D. Needle stick injuries from
infected patients
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
123. A 30 year old patient comes

in with symptoms of hepatitis. The
following serological results are
obtained: Hepatitis A IgM antibody
negative, Hepatitis A IgG antibody
positive, Hepatitis B surface
Page 65 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
antigen positive, Hepatitis B

surface antibody negative,
Hepatitis C antibody negative. This
set of results suggests that the
patient has acute:
A. Hepatitis A
B. Hepatitis B
C. Hepatitis C
D. Hepatitis A and B
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
124. A major characteristic of

hepatitis C is:
A. It is transmitted by eating raw
oysters
B. It is highly likely to cause
chronic ongoing infection
C. Most patients have severe
symptoms when first infected
D. It is a DNA virus
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
125. HIV is the same as:

A. HTLV III
B. HTLV II
C. HTLV I
D. None of the above
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
Page 66 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
126. The likelihood of HIV being

transmitted from a pregnant
woman to her infant in the
absence of antiretroviral therapy is
about:
A. 1 in 500
B. 1 to 5 %
C. 20 to 25%
D. 50 to 75%
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
127. One of the characteristics of

HIV infection is that:
A. The virus multiplies slowly with
a half-life of weeks matching the
slow rate of disease progression
B. There is rapid dissemination of
virus within the first few weeks of
infection to all tissues
C. In early infection the virus is
most actively multiplying within
the bloodstream
D. There is little if any immune
response to HIV infection, and
that is why this infection is so
overwhelming
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
Page 67 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
128. Serologic conversion to a

positive test for HIV infection
occurs:
A. In 2-3 days
B. In 3-4 weeks
C. In 3-6 months
D. May take up to 10 years
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
129. One of the key differences

between amantidine/rimantidine
and the newer neuraminidase
inhibitor influenza virus drugs is:
A. drug allergy
B. antimetabolic effect on host
cells due to lack of specificity for
viral enzymes
C. rate of development of drug
resistance
D. drug-drug interactions
associated with competition for
cytochrome P450 enzymes
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
130. Which of the following best

characterizes antiviral
chemotherapy in comparison to
bacterial chemotherapy?
A. Few drug targets, toxicity
problematic
B. Sensitivity tests of limited value
C. Toxicity a minor problem,
Page 68 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
multiple enzymatic targets

D. Many more drug options are
available to treat viral infections
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
131. HIV reverse transcriptase, a

critical target in modern
antiretroviral chemotherapy,
performs which critical function for
the virus:
A. Cleaves polyprotein precursor
leading to functional assembly of
viral core
B. Cleaves sialic acid residue from
glycoprotein permitting
attachment and entry into cell
C. Transcribes RNA into DNA
D. Activates 2',5' oligoadenylate
synthetase
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
132. Foscarnet interacts with

which of the following viral
enzymes:
A. Pyrophosphate-binding site of
the polymerase
B. Protease
C. Nucleoside reductase
D. Reverse transcriptase
Show answer
Page 69 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
Correct Answer: A
133. Enteroviruses are most

closely related to which of the
following viruses.
A. Herpes simplex
B. Hepatitis C
C. Hepatitis A
D. Rotavirus
E. Rubella
Show answer
Correct Answer: C
134. The following statements are

clearly true about enteroviruses
EXCEPT:
A. There are many serotypes
B. They can cause a variety of
diseases which imitate bacterial
infection
C. They are an important cause of
meningitis
D. They are an important cause of
diarrhea
Show answer
Correct Answer: D
135. All of the following are

syndromes associated with
Page 70 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
enteroviruses EXCEPT:
A. Conjuctivitis
B. Coronary artery disease
C. Myocarditis
D. Pericarditis
E. Pleuritis
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
136. Antiviral drugs currently on

the market, including acyclovir
and pencyclovir are active against
enteroviruses.
A. True
B. False
Show answer
Correct Answer: B
137. All of the following are true

statements regarding viruses
EXCEPT:
A. They contain both RNA and
DNA
B. The nucleic acid may be single
or double stranded
C. They are obligate intracellular
parasites
D. They reproduce using host cell
energy
E. The infectious particle is called
a virion
Show answer
Page 71 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
Correct Answer: A
138. A cytolytic virus would be

expected to cause cytopathic
effect in cell culture.
A. True
B. False
Show answer
Correct Answer: A
139. Influenza virus

hemagglutinins play a significant
role in which of the following
phases of viral replication?
A. Uncoating
B. Virion Assembly
C. Release by budding
D. Adsorption
E. Production of mRNA
Show answer
Correct Answer: D

statements is true regarding
naked virions?
A. They release from infected cells
by budding.
B. They are almost exclusively
RNA viruses.
Page 72 of 76
11/18/14, 1:16 PM
C. Their release from infected cells

may cause cell lysis.
D. All herpesviruses are naked v
namaphie, Trina Johnson and noor mustafa like this.
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You can find the remaining questions here:

http://www.usmleforum.com/archives/2006/1/76773.php
Does anyone know the book/online test bank where these questions were
originally sourced from?
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