AH 3320 Midterm Review

Which of the following is least likely to have a severe infection possibly resulting in death?

A patient that received one dose of MMR

If you wanted to study acellular, non-living microbes, you may want to study which of the following types of organisms?

Viruses

Which of the following is not typically spread through ingestion of contaminated food or water?

Measles infections

The microbes that usually live on or within a person are collectively referred to as:

Indigenous microbiota

Microbes that usually do not cause us any harm, but have the potential to cause infections are referred to as:

Opportunistic pathogens

Which of the following is the correct pairing of microbe/disease with type of microbe?

Measles – virus

Which of the following related to categories of disease is correct:

Infectious diseases cause far more illnesses and deaths than microbial intoxication

Which of the following statements is correct?

All contagious diseases are communicable (but not all communicable diseases are contagious)

Which group of listed individual microbes are the leading causes of death in low-income (or developing) countries?

HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis

Since 2000, which of the following trends is true about leading causes of death globally?

Deaths from communicable diseases continue to decrease

According to the CDC, which of the following microbes has not been identified as an outbreak in the US this year (2026)?

Polio infections

The epidemiologic triad of disease causation refers to:

Agent, host, environment

A mosquito bites a person who subsequently develops a fever and abdominal rash. What type of transmission would this be?

Biological vector transmission

The two most common causes of altered mental status (AMS) in an elderly patient are:

Neurologic and Infections

A healthcare professional administering immunizations to prevent infection "breaks the chain" by which of the following mechanism?

Enhancing the defenses of the host

Cattle are allowed to pasture in a field that contains the farmhouse well, and the farmer’s family becomes ill with a gastrointestinal pathogen after drinking the water. What type of transmission of infectious agents would this be?

Vehicle transmission

Disease control measures ("breaking the chain") are generally directed at all of the following except?

Eliminating the host

A blanket from a child with chickenpox is likely to be contaminated with the virus that causes chickenpox (Varicella-zoster virus). What is the blanket called?

Fomite

Which of the following modes of transmission is considered direct contact?

Droplet spread

Which of the following arthropods is the vector of Lyme disease?

Tick

Which is the most common type of biological vector of human disease?

Arthropods

A reservoir of an infectious agent is least likely associated with which of the following:

Susceptible host

Which one of the following bacteria is LEAST likely to be the cause of a health care–associated infection (HAI)?

Yersinia pestis

A patient develops pneumonia a week after being discharged from a healthcare facility. This describes a/an:

Healthcare associated infection (HAI)

Which of the following is a major risk factor for iatrogenic infections in hospitals?

Prolonged use of invasive devices

Which one of the following bacteria is most likely to be the cause of a health care–associated infection (HAI) --- has its own category?

Clostridium difficile

Infections that are always caused by physicians or other healthcare workers are:

Iatrogenic

Which of the following best describes the mode of transmission when pathogens are expelled from the respiratory tract through coughing and sneezing (>5 µm)?

Droplet

A majority (approximately 70%) of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are specifically caused by:

Drug resistant bacteria

Primary modes of transmitting healthcare acquired infections typically include all of the following except:

Foodborne

Which of the following is the major source of the pathogens that cause nosocomial infections (HAIs)?

The patient's own indigenous (normal) microflora

Which mode of infection transmission is due to microorganisms being transferred to a patient from contaminated equipment?

Indirect contact

The organism causing tuberculosis can travel up to 150 feet. This would be an example of what mode of infection transmission?

Airborne

Which of the following infections ONLY requires droplet precautions?

Influenza

Which type of settings are most commonly associated with norovirus outbreaks?

Restaurants and catering facilities

Which of the following statements about an airborne infection isolation room (AIIR) is false?

Air entering the room is passed through a HEPA filter

How is contact enteric precautions different than contact precautions?

Must wash hands with soap and water upon exiting room

A difference between an acute disease and chronic disease is that chronic diseases have:

A slow onset and last a long time

Which of the following is NOT part of standard precautions?

Placing a patient in a private room having negative air pressure

Which of the following is incorrect?

Droplet transmission is the most frequent mode of transmission of HAIs

Which of the following is NOT typically seen in a localized infection?

Increased pulse

All of the following explain why an infection does not always cause an infectious disease except:

The pathogen attaches to receptor (integrin)

A patient has an infection spread by airborne transmission. Which of the following is essential for a health care professional to use when taking the temperature of the patient?

N95 respirator mask

Which of the following would be a sign of an infection?

Temperature of 39°C

Which of the following virulence factors enables bacteria to attach to tissues?

Pili

Enterotoxins affect cells in the:

Gastrointestinal tract

You identify a lipopolysaccharide produced by a gram-negative bacterium that is released into the gastrointestinal tract when the bacteria die. How would you classify this substance?

Endotoxin

A major or most important mechanism by which pathogens cause disease are: 

Exoenzymes

Which of the following would be considered a symptom of a heart attack?

Chest pain

Bacterial exotoxins are:

Proteins produced within and secreted from pathogens

Which virulence factor is responsible for breaking down host tissues?

Enzymes

Which virulence factor allows bacteria to resist destruction by phagocytosis?

Capsule

Which of the following is an example of INDIRECT damage to host tissues?

Immune-mediated destruction of "innocent bystander" cells

All of the following are recognized portals of entry EXCEPT:

Transcription via host DNA

Which of the following is the correct sequence of steps in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases?

Entry → Attachment → Multiplication → Invasion/Spread → Evasion of host defenses → Damage to host tissues

The respiratory system is divided into the upper respiratory tract (URT) and lower respiratory tract (LRT). Which structure belongs to the LRT?

Trachea

Which of the following is NOT classified as an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI)?

Bronchitis

Which of the following best summarizes the most common cause(s) of death from infectious diseases in the US and globally?

Lower respiratory infections

Which group is at highest risk of severe RSV infection?

Premature infants

In influenza virus, the neuraminidase (NA) spike functions to:

Release newly replicated virions from the host cell

Most cases of pharyngitis are caused by:

Viruses

Based on length of incubation period and duration of disease, influenza is classified as:

Acute

Which of the following viruses does not commonly require droplet precautions?

Measles

Which of the following is a recognized reservoir of Legionella?

Environmental water sources or freshwater amoeba

Which of the following mechanisms is used by type A influenza to evade the host immune system? 

Mutation of hemagglutinin

The common cold in otherwise healthy adults is most often caused by:

Rhinovirus