Microbiology worksheet with answers

What is the main purpose of bacterial endospores?

1. ATo exchange DNA with other bacteria
2. BTo survive harsh conditions such as heat and drying
3. CTo reproduce quickly when nutrients and water are plentiful
4. DTo move towards nutrients

How do bacteria usually reproduce?

1. ABinary fission
2. BMitosis with a nuclear membrane
3. CMeiosis
4. DBudding from a spore

What is a zoonosis?

1. AAn infection caught in hospital
2. BAn infection that only affects zoo animals
3. CAn infection spread through water
4. DAn infection that spreads from animals to humans

Which laboratory test separates Staphylococcus aureus from most other staphylococci?

1. AThe Gram stain
2. BThe acid-fast stain
3. CThe catalase test
4. DThe coagulase test

Why does high vaccination coverage also protect babies too young to be vaccinated?

1. AFewer people can pass on the infection, so it spreads less
2. BVaccines kill the pathogen in the environment
3. CBabies are naturally immune to all vaccine-preventable diseases
4. DVaccinated people pass antibodies to everyone they meet

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in a person with advanced HIV is an example of:

1. AA food-borne infection
2. BA vector-borne infection
3. CAn opportunistic infection
4. DA zoonotic infection

Which bacterial toxin causes the muscle spasms of tetanus?

1. AEndotoxin from the outer membrane
2. BTetanospasmin, which blocks inhibitory neurotransmitter release
3. CCholera toxin, which activates adenylate cyclase
4. DBotulinum toxin, which blocks acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction

Prions differ from all other infectious agents because they:

1. AAre killed by normal cooking and disinfection
2. BCan only infect bacteria
3. CContain only RNA, with no protein coat surrounding the genome
4. DContain no nucleic acid and consist of misfolded protein