microbiology basic and clinical principles test bank

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C: prions. Prions are misfolded proteins that can cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Prions are not viruses like flavoviruses (A) or orthomyxoviruses (D). Virusoids (B) are small, circular, single-stranded RNA molecules that require a helper virus to replicate and are not associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Therefore, the correct answer is C as prions are the only choice that correctly links to the etiology of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The most likely diagnosis is A: Pneumonic plague. The patient's symptoms align with the presentation of pneumonic plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, dyspnea, cough with bloody sputum, and cyanosis. The characteristic bubonic plague lymphadenopathy may be absent in the pneumonic form. The patient's recent travel history to India also raises suspicion, as plague is endemic in some regions. The other choices can be ruled out based on the patient's symptoms and presentation. Miliary tuberculosis typically presents with diffuse miliary nodules on imaging. Influenza typically presents with more generalized symptoms and does not usually cause rusty sputum. Ornithosis is caused by Chlamydophila psittaci and usually presents with pneumonia-like symptoms after exposure to infected birds.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is Shigella (Choice C) because it matches the description of being Gram-negative rods and lactose non-fermenters. Shigella is a non-lactose fermenting, Gram-negative rod that typically produces colorless colonies on Endo agar. Salmonella (Choice A) and Escherichia coli (Choice B) are both lactose fermenters and would produce pink colonies on Endo agar. Proteus (Choice D) is also a lactose fermenter and would appear pink on Endo agar. Therefore, based on the characteristics provided, Shigella is the most likely microorganism in this scenario.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Pseudomonas aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa is a Gram-negative rod that is oxidase-positive and lactose non-fermenting. The positive oxidase test indicates the presence of cytochrome c oxidase, a characteristic of P. aerugin. E. coli is lactose fermenting. Salmonella and Shigella are also Gram-negative rods, but they are lactose fermenters, unlike the lactose non-fermenting P. aeruginosa.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Mycolic acid in the cell wall. Mycolic acid is a unique component of the cell wall of Mycobacterium species, including the causative agent of tuberculosis. The Ziehl-Neelsen method uses acid-fast staining, where mycolic acid confers resistance to decolorization by acid-alcohol, causing the bacteria to retain the red stain. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect as capsules, flagella, and peptidoglycan layers do not directly contribute to acid-fast staining characteristic of Mycobacterium species.