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

Which of these is caused by a virus?

  1. AInfluenza
  2. BTetanus
  3. CTuberculosis
  4. DMalaria
2.Easy

What is an antigen?

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

What is a zoonosis?

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

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
5.Medium

Which virus family includes the viruses that cause cold sores and chickenpox?

  1. AHerpesviruses
  2. BPicornaviruses
  3. CRetroviruses
  4. DCoronaviruses
6.Medium

How do people usually become infected with Legionella pneumophila?

  1. ABy person-to-person spread through kissing
  2. BBy eating undercooked chicken or unpasteurised milk products
  3. CBy being bitten by an infected tick
  4. DBy inhaling aerosols from contaminated water systems
7.Hard

A teenager has fever, neck stiffness and a non-blanching purple rash. CSF shows Gram-negative diplococci. Which organism is most likely?

  1. AStreptococcus pneumoniae
  2. BNeisseria meningitidis
  3. CListeria monocytogenes
  4. DEscherichia coli
8.Hard

Why are penicillins ineffective against Mycoplasma pneumoniae?

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

Answer key

  1. 1. A · Influenza
  2. 2. C · A molecule that the immune system recognises
  3. 3. A · An infection that spreads from animals to humans
  4. 4. D · The coagulase test
  5. 5. A · Herpesviruses
  6. 6. D · By inhaling aerosols from contaminated water systems
  7. 7. B · Neisseria meningitidis
  8. 8. A · It has no cell wall for penicillin to act on

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