Microbiology worksheet with answers

Which disease has been eradicated worldwide through vaccination?

1. ASmallpox
2. BMalaria
3. CMeasles
4. DTuberculosis

What is an antigen?

1. AA molecule that the immune system recognises
2. BA protein made by plasma cells to fight infection
3. CA drug that blocks bacterial growth
4. DA type of white blood cell

What is an obligate anaerobe?

1. AAn organism that grows both with and without oxygen present
2. BAn organism that lives only in the lungs
3. CAn organism that cannot grow in the presence of oxygen
4. DAn organism that needs oxygen to grow

Why are pregnant women advised to avoid unpasteurised soft cheeses?

1. AThey may contain Listeria, which can harm the fetus
2. BThey contain too much lactose for the fetus
3. CThey often contain the hepatitis C virus, which crosses the placenta
4. DThey may contain tapeworm eggs

What is the incubation period?

1. AThe time an antibiotic takes to work
2. BThe time a culture needs in the laboratory
3. CThe time between infection and the first symptoms
4. DThe time during which a patient remains infectious to others

In the chain of infection, what is the "reservoir"?

1. AThe place where the pathogen normally lives and multiplies
2. BThe way the pathogen enters a new host
3. CThe route by which the pathogen leaves the infected host's body
4. DThe person who is most at risk of infection

How do retroviruses such as HIV copy their genome into the host DNA?

1. AHost DNA polymerase copies the RNA without help
2. BThe viral RNA is translated into DNA by ribosomes
3. CThe viral DNA is copied directly by host RNA polymerase
4. DReverse transcriptase makes DNA from viral RNA, and integrase inserts it

Why are penicillins ineffective against Mycoplasma pneumoniae?

1. AIt lives only inside red blood cells
2. BIt has no cell wall for penicillin to act on
3. CIt has a thick waxy mycolic acid layer that blocks entry
4. DIt produces large amounts of beta-lactamase