Question 1

Which of the following best describes the difference between incidence and prevalence of a disease?

Accepted Answer

Incidence is the number of people who develop a disease during a particular time period, while prevalence is the total number of cases (old and new) at a specified time.

Question 2

A patient develops pneumonia after being hospitalized for a surgical procedure. This infection is best classified as:

Accepted Answer

A healthcare-associated infection (HAI)

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of microbial antagonism provided by normal microbiota?

Accepted Answer

Normal microbiota producing acids that inhibit pathogen growth

Question 4

Which of the following body sites is normally sterile in a healthy individual?

Accepted Answer

Blood

Question 5

A disease that is constantly present in a population, such as the common cold, is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Endemic

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a step in Koch’s postulates?

Accepted Answer

The pathogen must be eliminated from the environment to stop the disease.

Question 7

Which of the following best describes an opportunistic pathogen?

Accepted Answer

A microbe that causes disease only when the host’s defenses are compromised

Question 8

A patient with HIV develops pneumonia caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii. The pneumonia is best described as:

Accepted Answer

A secondary infection

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of vehicle transmission?

Accepted Answer

A person contracts cholera from drinking contaminated water

Question 10

Which of the following best describes herd immunity?

Accepted Answer

A form of immunity that occurs when a high percentage of the population is immune, reducing the spread of disease

Question 11

Which of the following is a correct sequence for the development of a disease?

Accepted Answer

Incubation period → Prodromal period → Period of illness → Period of decline → Period of convalescence

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of biological vector transmission?

Accepted Answer

A mosquito transmitting malaria after the parasite multiplies inside the mosquito

Question 13

Which of the following is a sign, not a symptom, of disease?

Accepted Answer

Fever of $$39^\circC$$

Question 14

Which of the following is a predisposing factor that increases susceptibility to infection?

Accepted Answer

Inherited traits such as the sickle cell gene

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of a zoonosis?

Accepted Answer

Rabies transmitted from a dog to a human

Question 16

Which of the following best describes a subclinical disease?

Accepted Answer

A disease with no noticeable signs or symptoms

Question 17

Which of the following is a function of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)?

Accepted Answer

Publishing the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

Question 18

A patient is found to have bacteria in the blood, but there are no signs of multiplication or systemic infection. This condition is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Bacteremia

Question 19

Which of the following is a method to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs)?

Accepted Answer

Handwashing and disinfecting patient care equipment

Question 20

Which of the following is an example of analytical epidemiology?

Accepted Answer

Comparing a group of people who got sick with a group who did not to determine the probable cause

Principles of Disease, Epidemiology, and Host-Microbe Interactions

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