Deck 23: Spirochetes

Question 1

All of the following diseases are produced by Treponema EXCEPT:

A) Syphilis
B) Elephantiasis
C) Yaws
D) Pinta

Answer 1

B
The genus Treponema comprises four microorganisms that are pathogenic for humAnswer: T.pallidum subsp.pallidum,the causative agent of syphilis; T.pallidum subsp.pertenue,the causative agent of yaws; T.pallidum subsp.endemicum,the causative agent of endemic syphilis; and T.carateum,the causative agent of pinta.

Question 2

What structure is responsible for motility in spirochetes?

A) Axiles
B) Periplasmic flagella
C) Flexible cell wall
D) Compressed nucleus

Answer 2

B
The spirochetes differ from other bacteria in that they have a flexible cell wall around which several fibrils are wound.These fibrils,termed the periplasmic flagella (also known as the axial fibrils,axial filaments,endoflagella,and periplasmic fibrils),are responsible for motility.

Question 3

What diseases do Borrelia spp.cause?

A) Undulant and hemorrhagic fevers
B) Lyme disease and Parrot fever
C) Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Relapsing fever
D) Lyme disease and Relapsing fever

Answer 3

D
The genus Borrelia comprises several species of spirochetes that are morphologically similar but have different pathogenic properties and host ranges.Most species cause relapsing fever; however,B.burgdorferi is the etiologic agent of Lyme disease.

Question 4

What is the drug of choice for treating Borrelia infections?

A) Aminoglycosides
B) Macrolides
C) Tetracyclines
D) Penicillins

Question 5

Where is the unusual rash seen in secondary syphilis?

A) Chest and back
B) Back and soles
C) Buttocks and palms
D) Palms and soles

Question 6

Factors that may play a role in pathogenicity of Leptospira include all the following EXCEPT:

A) Hemolysin
B) Endotoxins
C) Pancytopenia in host
D) Decreased phagocytosis in host

Question 7

How are Borrelia organisms transmitted to the host?

A) Respiratory droplets
B) Arthropods
C) Birds
D) Blood or body fluids

Question 8

What organism causes relapsing fever?

A) Borrelia recurrentis
B) B. burgdorferi
C) Leptospira interrogans
D) C. psittaci

Question 9

All of the following are symptoms of tertiary syphilis EXCEPT:

A) Gummas in the skin, bones, and liver
B) Encephalitis
C) Aortitis
D) Aortic valve insufficiency

Question 10

Leptospires are susceptible to all the following antibiotics EXCEPT:

A) Streptomycin
B) Tetracycline
C) Penicillin
D) Macrolides

Question 11

A young woman notices a bruise that looks like an erythema chronicum migrans lesion on her lower leg.She cannot remember getting bruised,even though she went hiking through the woods last weekend.The bruise goes away in about a week and she thinks nothing more about it.About 2 weeks later,she begins to feel very bad.She has joint and bone pain,extreme fatigue,and her heart just "doesn't feel right." What disease does she have,and what antibiotic is used to treat it?

A) Lyme disease and doxycycline
B) Relapsing fever and macrolides
C) Parrot fever and penicillin
D) Hemorrhagic fever and gentamicin

Question 12

A man is taking a shower and notices this lesion on his penis that is not tender but is firm with a clean surface and raised edges.He is quite dismayed,so he goes to his physician.The physician does a rapid plasmin reagin (RPR)and a darkfield microscopy.Both tests are positive.What is the physician's probable diagnosis?

A) Gonorrhea
B) Nongonococcal urethritis (NGU)
C) Syphilis
D) Human papillomavirus (HPV)

Question 13

What is a Leptospira infection called when it becomes a severe systemic disease?

A) Niemann-Pick
B) Bordet-Gengou
C) Gaucher's disease
D) Weil's disease

Question 14

Acceptable specimens during the first week of leptospirosis include all the following EXCEPT:

A) Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
B) Blood
C) Urine
D) a and b

Question 15

What medium is used in the laboratory to grow leptospires?

A) MacConkey
B) Fletcher's
C) Sheep blood agar
D) None of the above

Question 16

An animal attendant at the zoo became ill.Symptoms included fever,chills,headache,severe myalgia,and malaise.This person's urinalysis was abnormal with protein and blood present.A couple of weeks earlier,the attendant was handling the chimpanzees and one of the chimps urinated on him.What is the most likely cause of illness?

A) Borrelia
B) Leptospira
C) Treponema
D) Helicobacter

Question 17

When does a patient develop tertiary syphilis?

A) Decades after the initial infection
B) Two to 3 years after the initial infection
C) 1 year after the initial infection
D) 5 years after the initial infection

Question 18

How is congenital syphilis transmitted from the mother to her unborn child?

A) During birth from the birth canal
B) During the microhemorrhages that occur as the placenta breaks away from the uterus
C) Crossing the placenta
D) None of the above

Question 19

Spirochetes are made up of all the following EXCEPT:

A) Helicobacter
B) Leptospira
C) Borrelia
D) Treponema

Question 20

All of the following symptoms are characteristic of Weil's disease EXCEPT:

A) Pneumonia
B) Renal failure
C) Hepatic failure
D) Intravascular disease

Question 21

What is an example of a nontreponemal test?

A) Rapid plasmin reagin (RPR)
B) Fluorescent treponemal antibody, absorbed (FTA-ABS)
C) Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA)
D) Microhemagglutination-Treponema pallidum (MHA-TP)

Question 22

Early-onset congenital syphilis is characterized by all the following symptoms EXCEPT:

A) Osteochondritis
B) Anemia
C) Hepatosplenomegaly
D) Encephalitis

Question 23

What is the drug of choice used to treat syphilis?

A) Tetracycline
B) Fluoroquinolones
C) Penicillin
D) Macrolides

Question 24

What is a confirmatory test for a positive rapid plasmin reagin (RPR)?

A) Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL)
B) Fluorescent treponemal antibody, absorbed (FTA-ABS)
C) Enzyme immunoassay (EIA)
D) Darkfield

Question 25

What is the primary method used to diagnosis syphilis infections?

A) Serologic
B) Microscopy
C) Culture
D) Enzyme immunoassay (EIA)