Cengage Microbiology Practice Test

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• Which route of transmission is suspected when a group of patients becomes ill after consuming the same substance?
• Which pathogens can cause croup?
• Which statement correctly describes the biosafety level (BSL) system used for handling pathogens?
• Two sets of blood cultures are usually collected: one aerobic and one ______ cultures.
• Name two common pathogenic fungi and one hallmark of fungal infections.
• What is the net ATP yield from glycolysis per glucose, and what is the ATP yield from fermentation when respiration cannot occur?
• Which of the following is a general mechanism of antimicrobial resistance?
• The _____ gland located on each side of the face near the ear lobe can become infected, causing pain, difficulty swallowing, and high fever.
• Acute cholecystitis is caused by a stone which obstructs the common bile duct.
• A statement claims that some medications are effective against both bacterial and viral infections. This claim is
• A patient develops an illness after shaking hands with an infected person. How did the illness most likely spread?
• Alcohol-based hand rubs should be used before putting on sterile gloves.
• Which statement is true about antifungal administration?
• Which statement best describes pattern recognition receptors in innate immunity?
• ________ flora exist on the skin and usually do not cause disease unless they enter a sterile body cavity in an immunocompromised patient.
• In catheter-related bloodstream infections, antibiotics are typically started after cultures are obtained.
• Catheter-related bloodstream infections can present with which symptom cluster?
• Which of the following statements about influenza vaccines and avian strains is correct?
• The door to the patient's room may be kept open if the patient is on droplet precautions.
• During a sterile procedure, is it permissible to reach over the sterile field?
• Which statement about epidemiology is true?
• What role do microbiota play in human health and disease?
• How long does a patient typically need to take antituberculosis medications?
• Which statement correctly describes Gram-positive bacteria?
• How do biofilms contribute to antibiotic resistance?
• When possible, should a sputum specimen be obtained before initiating antibiotics?
• Which of the following is NOT a major function of antibodies?
• Which statement best describes Giardia lamblia and its transmission and disease?
• Why is antibiotic stewardship important?
• What is the role of CRISPR-Cas in bacteria?
• Which enzymes are essential for DNA replication in bacteria and what are their roles?
• Which statement accurately differentiates Gram-positive from Gram-negative bacterial cell walls?
• The goal of surgical asepsis is the elimination of microbes and their spore forms.
• Mechanical ventilation is associated with risk for which condition?
• Which of the following interventions is not a part of airborne precautions?
• Which process uses a proton gradient across a membrane to drive ATP synthase, converting ADP and Pi into ATP?
• Which type of pneumonia is Legionella associated with?
• What term describes skin flora that normally reside on the skin and do not typically cause disease unless they enter sterile tissues?
• What is the most significant problem in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia?
• The treatment of necrotizing skin and soft tissue infections usually requires:
• Which statement about the door status for droplet precautions is accurate?
• Which statement about probiotics is correct?
• Which type of antibiotics inhibit replication of microorganisms and prevent their growth without killing them?
• Per turn of the citric acid cycle (per acetyl-CoA), how many NADH, FADH2, and CO2 molecules are produced?
• Endospores serve what function and which genera form them?
• Which virulence factor helps bacteria attach to host tissues?
• Which phage is a classic example of the lysogenic cycle?
• Which field focuses on the distribution and determinants of diseases in populations?
• In standard two-set blood culture collection, one culture is aerobic and the other is anaerobic.
• For a clean-catch urine sample, what should the patient do with the first portion of urine?
• When should non-sterile patient gloves be removed?
• Chemical agents causing respiratory problems have been documented historically in warfare.
• What is the purpose of culture media such as MacConkey agar and blood agar?
• Explain MRSA and a major virulence factor.
• Which of the following is a component of the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard?
• What does Gram staining reveal about bacteria?
• Give examples of antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis and their bacterial ribosomal targets.
• A child with otitis media frequently has upper respiratory infection symptoms.
• Which of the following is an example of an acute infection?
• Which of the following constitutes innate immune defenses against bacteria?
• An insect that ingests blood from an infected source and transmits it to a human is a ______?
• MacConkey agar is differential for lactose fermentation. Which result indicates a lactose-fermenting organism?
• The proton motive force drives which enzyme to synthesize ATP during cellular respiration?
• If an employee is exposed to blood when providing patient care, the employer must provide confidential follow-up and treatment at a reasonable cost.
• Explain selective versus differential media with an example.
• Endocarditis can develop in patients who have not had heart valve replacement.
• Under contact precautions, equipment used should be dedicated to that patient.
• Most patients who develop health care-associated pneumonia are hospitalized patients with no other health conditions.
• On blood agar, which hemolysis pattern indicates no hemolysis around colonies?
• Aspiration pneumonia is either chemical or bacterial in origin.
• Which antibiotic inhibits RNA polymerase in bacteria, thereby blocking transcription?
• Standard precautions aim to prevent transmission of infections in health care by combining which practices?
• Pneumonia can be caused by which of the following?
• Used needles and syringes should be placed in which container?
• Name an example of a diagnostic molecular test and what it detects.
• If a dual swab system is used for a throat culture, the second swab is used for which purpose?
• How are antifungal agents administered?
• A lumbar puncture is performed to diagnose which condition?
• Gonorrhoeae conjunctivitis can result in blindness if untreated.
• Which medication is used to treat the herpes virus?
• Which of the following describes the appearance of a new infection with a different strain during antibiotic treatment?
• Distinguish sterilization, disinfection, and antisepsis.
• Which antibiotic targets penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs)?
• Which of the following is not a typical consideration when prescribing antibiotics for pneumonia?
• When the pathogen is located on the outside of a vector's body, the type of transmission is?
• Untreated Group A β-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis can lead to which fever?
• The statement that hepatitis C genotype identification is unnecessary before treatment is
• After uncoating in the viral replication cycle, what is the next major process?
• TB infection can involve extrapulmonary sites.
• In bacterial conjugation, what is the role of the F plasmid?
• Which of the following is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections?
• Untreated appendicitis can lead to which complication?
• Which statement best describes the basic structure and energy source for bacterial flagellar rotation?
• Which of the following is a common side effect of penicillin?
• Which statement about chemical warfare history is accurate?
• When a patient is on contact precautions, equipment used should be dedicated to that patient during hospitalization.
• Which statement best describes the timing of sputum collection relative to antibiotic administration?
• Some antimicrobials can be monitored by drug levels to ensure therapeutic dosing; this is known as therapeutic drug monitoring.
• Health care providers can become colonized with pathogens during direct contact with patients.
• How do generalized transduction and specialized transduction differ?
• Which enzyme unwinds DNA strands during replication?
• Patients being treated for health care-acquired pneumonia usually require more than one antibiotic.
• Bronchitis is rarely caused by bacteria; antibiotics should not be routinely prescribed.
• When collecting a specimen, which of the following should be documented?
• Which molecule is a key component of the outer membrane in Gram-negative bacteria?
• Which statement about endocarditis is true?
• Ribavirin is administered for severe RSV infections by which route?
• Identify antibiotics that inhibit DNA replication and transcription.
• Because aminoglycosides can cause hearing loss and kidney failure, they should not be used for infections that could be treated with other less toxic antibiotics.
• Which of the following factors should be considered when prescribing an antibiotic for pneumonia?
• Legionella pneumophila is classified as _____ pneumonia.
• Which statement is true about penicillin-related adverse effects?
• What is the term used for the cause of a disease?
• Diverticulitis is commonly caused by microbes from the colon, including E. coli and Bacteroides fragilis.
• Which of the following is an example of a chronic infection?
• What is a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and potential complication?
• An advantage of cephalosporins over penicillins is that they have a shorter duration of action so patients experience fewer side effects. True or False?
• Which statement about the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard components is correct?
• Which molecule is an endotoxin?
• Which statement correctly describes the action of antiviral strategies for influenza and HIV?
• Tuberculosis can affect other parts of the body, not just the lungs.
• Which factors influence microbial growth?
• Which of the following statements are true regarding catheter-related bloodstream infections?
• Which diagnostic molecular test detects RNA viruses?
• When collecting a nasal swab, which depth is recommended for insertion into one nostril?
• What is the minimum border in inches that should be maintained between a sterile field and non-sterile areas?
• Dysbiosis refers to which of the following?
• Should a culture of nasal secretions be performed for patients with signs and symptoms of sinusitis?
• During surgical handwashing, how high on the arm should the wash extend?
• What is the correct technique for performing a nasal swab?
• What is a prion and how do they cause disease?
• TB infection can involve sites outside the lungs.
• Which group should not routinely receive the meningococcal vaccine?
• Outline the typical steps in bacterial pathogenesis.
• Which sequence correctly lists the typical replication cycle steps for an enveloped virus?
• Distinguish endotoxins and exotoxins with examples.
• The cause of the disease is referred to as the ?
• Prolonged use of quinolones may cause ________ , which is the appearance of a new infection with a different strain or species of microorganism during antibiotic treatment.
• A specific grouping of signs and symptoms is known as a(n) ?
• Which statement best describes MacConkey agar?
• What is the role of leukocytes in bacterial infections?
• Which statement correctly differentiates active immunity from passive immunity?
• The statement 'Most patients who develop health care-associated pneumonia have no other health conditions' is true.
• Prions cause disease by which mechanism?
• When should you seal a red infectious waste biohazard bag and dispose of it?
• Which statement best differentiates the lytic and lysogenic cycles with an example?
• Name three mechanisms by which antibiotics disrupt bacterial cells.
• ______ is the inflammation of lung tissue caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or even noninfectious agents.
• Which antibiotic inhibits the 50S ribosomal subunit?
• Which of the following activities is part of standard precautions?
• A lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid is usually performed to diagnose which condition?
• What is transformation in bacteria and what is meant by competence?
• Provide an example of antibiotics that inhibit cell wall synthesis and their targets.
• Which of the following is a risk factor for developing infectious diarrhea?
• Antimicrobial resistance is a concern when treating chlamydia.
• Chemicals that cause respiratory problems including laryngospasm and pulmonary edema have been used as weapons since World War I.
• How do vaccines contribute to herd immunity?
• Antibiotic selection for the treatment of cellulitis is based upon the presence or absence of what feature?
• Outline the malaria life cycle stages relevant to humans.
• Which statement about reservoirs, vectors, and transmission is incorrect?
• What are virulence factors and provide examples.
• Which of the following is a probiotic microorganism commonly associated with maintaining gut flora and inhibiting pathogens?
• Which type of specimen may be obtained to diagnose bowel infections?
• Which statement correctly describes fermentation yield under respiration-unavailable conditions?
• Which statement about historical respiratory hazards is true?
• Which organism is most commonly associated with hospital-acquired infection such as C. difficile colitis?
• Patients who are on ventilators are at risk for developing what illness?
• Which of the following groups should not routinely receive the vaccine for meningococcal meningitis?
• What is the incubation period in infectious disease?
• How long should health care providers perform routine medical handwashing?
• Aspiration pneumonia can be caused by which types of agents?
• What is the role of the electron transport chain in aerobic respiration?
• Some antimicrobials can be monitored using drug levels measured in a patient's blood to see if they are therapeutic.
• Which feature allows acid-fast organisms to retain the primary stain in acid-fast staining?
• For diagnosing bowel infections, which specimen is typically collected?
• An effective behavior to prevent the spread of illness is to cover your mouth with your hand when coughing.
• If a pathogen is located on the outside of a vector's body and transferred to a human, this is an example of which transmission type?
• Which molecule serves as the final electron acceptor in aerobic respiration?
• Name two major bacterial etiologies of community-acquired pneumonia and a key virulence factor.
• How much of the arm should be washed when performing surgical handwashing?
• How is acid-fast staining used for Mycobacteria?
• Which statement about influenza vaccine effectiveness against avian strains is accurate?
• Neisseria gonorrhoeae can cause conjunctivitis that can result in blindness if untreated.
• The usual microbes involved in diverticulitis are those found in the colon, including E. coli and Bacteroides fragilis.
• Which statement about tuberculosis is true?
• Which statement correctly describes the biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory?
• Which statement best describes the purpose of the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard?
• A child who has signs and symptoms of otitis media frequently also has signs and symptoms of an upper respiratory infection.
• Used needles and syringes should be placed in a ____ container?
• The influenza vaccine can give humans some protection against the avian flu.
• The statement that hepatitis C genotype identification is unnecessary before treatment is