Microbiology worksheet with answers

Free printable Microbiology worksheet: 8 problems from easy to exam level, with an answer key. Print it or save it as a PDF.

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Name: ____________________   Date: ____________

1.Easy

What is an antigen?

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

Why are viruses called obligate intracellular parasites?

  1. AThey can only replicate inside a living host cell
  2. BThey only live inside the intestine
  3. CThey always kill the host cell immediately
  4. DThey can only be seen inside a cell under a microscope
3.Easy

Tapeworms and roundworms are examples of:

  1. AFungi
  2. BHelminths
  3. CPrions
  4. DProtozoa
4.Medium

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 may contain tapeworm eggs
  4. DThey often contain the hepatitis C virus, which crosses the placenta
5.Medium

In the lysogenic cycle of a bacteriophage, what happens to the phage DNA?

  1. AIt is immediately used to make new phages that burst the cell
  2. BIt is integrated into the bacterial chromosome as a prophage
  3. CIt is destroyed by the bacterium
  4. DIt leaves the cell through the pilus
6.Medium

Which organism is a Gram-negative diplococcus that causes a sexually transmitted infection?

  1. ATreponema pallidum
  2. BTrichomonas vaginalis
  3. CChlamydia trachomatis
  4. DNeisseria gonorrhoeae
7.Hard

Gram-positive cocci are found. Which test quickly separates staphylococci from streptococci?

  1. AThe acid-fast stain
  2. BGrowth on MacConkey agar
  3. CThe catalase test
  4. DThe coagulase test
8.Hard

Which mechanism of antibiotic resistance does a bacterium use when it pumps the drug out of the cell?

  1. AEnzymatic inactivation
  2. BTarget modification
  3. CEfflux pumps
  4. DReduced porin uptake only

Answer key

  1. 1. D · A molecule that the immune system recognises
  2. 2. A · They can only replicate inside a living host cell
  3. 3. B · Helminths
  4. 4. A · They may contain Listeria, which can harm the fetus
  5. 5. B · It is integrated into the bacterial chromosome as a prophage
  6. 6. D · Neisseria gonorrhoeae
  7. 7. C · The catalase test
  8. 8. C · Efflux pumps

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