A hospital is experiencing an outbreak of a bacterial infection caused by an endospore-forming species. As a microbiologist, you are tasked with selecting an appropriate microbial control method to eliminate the bacteria from hospital surfaces. Which of the following methods would be most effective?

Autoclaving and using aldehydes like glutaraldehyde

Which of the following statements about the nervous system's defenses is incorrect?

The cerebrospinal fluid contains a high number of circulating white blood cells to fight infections.

Meagan presents to urgent care with symptoms of runny nose, headache, and fever. Additionally, she reports that she has been having chest pain. The physician suspects pneumonia but wants to determine the causative agent in order to treat it properly. They do a gram stain which comes back positive as well as determining it is alpha hemolytic. What is the causative agent and how is it treated?

Streptococcus pneumoniae – doxycycline

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

Mesophiles have an optimal temperature of 40-60°C

Which of the following is an example of a β-lactamase inhibitor used to prevent antibiotic resistance?

Clavulanic acid

A patient is diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, a Gram-positive, encapsulated bacterium. The doctor prescribes an antibiotic that targets the bacterial cell wall, but after a few days the infection is not improving. What is the most likely reason why the antibiotic is not working?

The bacteria are resistant because they produce an enzyme that destroys the antibiotic.

A drug is created and needs to be administered to patients via injection. However the drug needs to be sterilized, but the preparation method is undetermined. Consider the following constraints of the drug: the drug is 0.04um (filter is 0.02um), tolerates atoms in a higher energy state but not the formation of ions, denaturation at 120C. Which sterilization approach is most appropriate?

non ionizing radiation

Which of the following is not an essential nutrient of cells?

iron

Which of the following actions would be most appropriate when selecting an antimicrobial agent for treating an infection caused by an unknown bacterial pathogen?

perform a susceptibility test to determine the effectiveness of drugs and identify the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC)

Which of the following best describes the concept of selective toxicity in antimicrobial therapy?

the ability of a drug to target microbial structures or functions not present in human cells

The hospital admits a 65-year-old patient who has a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to shortness of breath, fever, and severe cough. Gram-negative bacilli that digest lactose and form a thick, mucoid capsule are seen in sputum cultures. Despite the doctor's prescription for an antibiotic, the infection continues. Which factor is most likely to be the cause of treatment failure

The bacteria are resistant to several β-lactam antibiotics because they manufacture extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs).

Which of the following correctly describes how endotoxins function in bacterial infections?

They are released from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria upon cell lysis and can trigger systemic inflammation

A scientist uses a fluorescent probe to hybridize bacterial DNA sequences in a patient sample. What genotypic method is being applied?

Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH)

A 7-year-old boy with a history of incomplete vaccinations presents with progressive muscle rigidity and painful spasms. Which bacterial toxin is responsible for his symptoms?

Tetanospasmin

A 38-year-old HIV-positive patient presents with a sudden onset of severe headache, high fever, and confusion. He reports spending time in a park frequented by pigeons. Based on this clinical scenario, answer the following question by choosing the best option

Cryptococcus neoformans

Which of the following body products can serology test?

Urine & Sera

What is the causative agent of walking pneumonia

Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Patient comes in with spasms, headache, and no vaccines. What is the causative agent of this disease.

Clostridium tetani

Which of the following chemical antimicrobial agents would be least suited to use in a procedure that requires sterilization?

Chlorhexidine

A patient comes in with an upper respiratory tract infection causing a sore throat. After performing various tests, you determine that the infection was caused by bacteria. The bacteria is cultured and revealed to be gram positive with beta-hemolytic capabilities and an M protein that increases its virulence. What is the most likely disease associated with this patient and the causative agent?

pharyngitis, Streptococcus pyogenes

A 67-year-old patient presents with chest pain, coughing, and congestion following recent swimming at a lake during a birthday party. Based on the patient's history and symptoms, what is the most likely diagnosis and its causative organism?

Pneumonia and Legionella pneumophila

Which of the following bacteria is part of the normal biota but can also cause disease?

Streptococcus pyogenes, Neisseria meningitidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae

You are a doctor administering drug X to a patient. Drug X is a powder that must be dissolved in water before being administered, and once dissolved it is very sensitive to heat and light. You accidentally dissolve drug X in water that you are not sure is sterile. What is the best option for sterilizing the drug X solution?

filtration

A mother brings her 2-year-old child to the clinic, reporting that the child has been irritable, has trouble sleeping, and has been pulling at their ear. Upon examination, you note redness and swelling in the ear canal. The mother also mentions that the child recently had a cold. Based on the signs and symptoms, what is the most likely diagnosis?

acute otitis media

Which of the following best describes a semisynthetic drug?

A naturally occurring drug that has been chemically modified to enhance its effectiveness and resistance to degradation.

A 45-year-old man develops a violent cough, night sweats, and weight loss over several weeks. A chest X-ray shows lung infiltrates, and a sputum sample is collected. An acid-fast stain of the sample reveals bright red rod-shaped bacteria. What is most likely the diagnosis?

Tuberculosis

Which of the following is an essential element required for microbial growth and plays a key role in ATP production and nucleic acid synthesis

Phosphorous

True or False - Only ionizing radiation can be harmful to human DNA because non ionizing radiation cannot easily penetrate through solids.

false

A woman presents to the clinic with a fever, swollen lymph nodes, and joint pain. She has been experiencing severe fatigue after her recent trip out of the country where she believes she was bitten by a fly. What disease does she most likely have? What is the causative agent of the disease?

African Sleeping Sickness or Trypanosomiasis; Trypanosoma brucei

Which of the following items are not considered semicritical medical devices?

surgical instruments

A patients presents to the ER complaining of headache, fever, and photophobia after coming back from Arizona on a family vacation. Upon observation and identification of spherules, the doctor diagnoses the patient and prescribes them a medication. Based on the signs, symptoms, and information presented, what medication did the doctor likely prescribe?

fluconazole

You are presented with a 20-year-old student who has fever, headache, neck stiffness, and confusion. A lumbar puncture reveals elevated white blood cell count, and a Gram staining of microbe reveals gram-negative diplococci bacteria. What is the most likely causative organism in this patient?

Neisseria meningitidis

Which of the following is the most common bacterial cause of community-acquired pneumonia?

Streptococcus pneumoniae

You are a researcher studying drug Z, a known antimicrobial. Through your experiments, you determine that drug Z inhibits 70s ribosomes in both Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Based on this information, which of the following statements is most likely to be true?

Drug Z may be viable for treating Haemophilus influenzae infections