Deck 20: Microbial Diseases of the Nervous System and Eyes

Question 1

Functions of the meninges include

A) support for the brain and spinal cord.
B) transmission of signals from the peripheral nervous system.
C) protection from external shock.
D) production of neurotransmitters.
E) support for the brain and spinal cord and protection from external shock.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Nervous system control of voluntary muscles, perception, and thought is localized in the

A) cerebellum.
B) cerebrum.
C) spinal cord.
D) brain stem.
E) meninges.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A baby arrives at an emergency room suffering from violent muscles spasms and difficulty breathing. The baby's body is so rigid a proper exam is difficult, but the staff note the baby is only a few weeks old and the umbilicus has not healed properly. The signs are consistent with which of the following diseases?

A) infant botulism
B) acute bacterial meningitis
C) tetanus
D) rabies
E) listeriosis

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Tetanus vaccine contains

A) antibodies against Clostridium tetani.
B) inactivated Clostridium tetani endospores.
C) antibodies against Clostridium tetani endospores.
D) fragments of Clostridium tetani cell walls.
E) inactivated tetanospasmin.

Question 5

Which of the following is true of foodborne botulism?

A) It is an intoxication disorder.
B) It is not a life-threatening infection even when left untreated.
C) Large amounts of bacteria must be consumed to produce disease.
D) Normal food preparation methods can prevent it.
E) An effective vaccine is available.

Question 6

The nervous system is described as "axenic" which means

A) it is an oxygen-free environment.
B) it is normally free of microbes.
C) it is full of axons.
D) there are no axons in it.
E) it contains extensive lymphoid tissue.

Question 7

The type of bacterial meningitis that becomes epidemic among adults is caused by

A) Streptococcus agalactiae.
B) Streptococcus pneumoniae.
C) Haemophilus influenzae.
D) Neisseria meningitidis.
E) Listeria monocytogenes.

Question 8

Which of the following would be found in a synaptic cleft?

A) ganglia
B) cell bodies
C) axons
D) neurotransmitters
E) neurons

Question 9

Encephalitis is an infection of

A) the brain.
B) the meninges.
C) neurons of the peripheral nervous system.
D) the eye.
E) the cauda equina.

Question 10

Which of the following causative agents of meningitis requires heme and NAD⁺ for its growth?

A) Neisseria meningitidis
B) Streptococcus pneumoniae
C) Listeria monocytogenes
D) Haemophilus influenzae
E) Streptococcus agalactiae

Question 11

Neisseria meningitidis is characterized as

A) a Gram-negative diplococcus.
B) being rapidly motile..
C) having a polysaccharide capsule and fimbriae.
D) a Gram-positive coccobacillus.
E) a Gram-negative diplococcus with a polysaccharide capsule and fimbriae.

Question 12

Which of the following is the least common cause of bacterial meningitis?

A) Neisseria meningitidis
B) Streptococcus agalactiae
C) Haemophilus influenzae
D) Listeria monocytogenes
E) Streptococcus pneumoniae

Question 13

How does tetanospasmin act?

A) It blocks the secretion of acetylcholine into the synaptic cleft.
B) It blocks the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters in the CNS.
C) It triggers the endocytosis of skeletal muscle cells.
D) It induces nervous system proteins to fold into abnormal shapes.
E) It is a pyrogenic toxin.

Question 14

Hansen's disease is caused by

A) Mycobacterium leprae.
B) coxsackie A virus.
C) prions.
D) Streptococcus agalactiae.
E) Neisseria meningitidis.

Question 15

Which of the following is the leading cause of meningitis in newborns?

A) Streptococcus agalactiae
B) Listeria monocytogenes
C) Haemophilus influenzae
D) Neisseria meningitidis
E) Streptococcus pneumoniae

Question 16

Which of the following diseases is the result of a bacterial infection of peripheral nerves?

A) botulism
B) acute bacterial meningitis
C) Hansen's disease
D) tetanus
E) rabies

Question 17

Which of the following produces the most deadly toxins known?

A) Clostridium botulinum
B) Clostridium tetani
C) Mycobacterium leprae
D) Listeria monocytogenes
E) Chlamydia trachomatis

Question 18

The optic nerves are an example of which of the following?

A) motor nerves
B) spinal nerves
C) mixed nerves
D) synaptic nerves
E) sensory nerves

Question 19

Endocytosis of Streptococcus pneumoniae by various body cells is triggered by

A) fimbriae.
B) a polysaccharide capsule.
C) secretory IgA protease.
D) phosphorylcholine.
E) pneumolysin.

Question 20

Which of the following causative agents of bacterial meningitis is transmitted by contaminated food?

A) Neisseria meningitidis
B) Streptococcus agalactiae
C) Haemophilus influenzae
D) Listeria monocytogenes
E) Streptococcus pneumoniae

Question 21

Which of the following statements concerning rabies is FALSE?

A) It is caused by an ssRNA virus.
B) Transmission is usually via a bite from a rabid animal.
C) Treatment includes vaccination.
D) Bats are the source of most cases of rabies in humans.
E) All mammals can serve as a reservoir for the disease.

Question 22

In trachoma, which of the following becomes scarred and filled with blood vessels, resulting in blindness?

A) the retina
B) the conjunctiva
C) the sclera
D) the cornea
E) the fibrous tunic

Question 23

Tsetse flies transmit

A) African sleeping sickness.
B) variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
C) trachoma.
D) St. Louis encephalitis.
E) Venezuelan equine encephalitis.

Question 24

Poliovirus is most often transmitted via

A) contaminated water.
B) household pets.
C) mosquitoes.
D) droplets.
E) endospores.

Question 25

The disease known as cryptococcal meningitis

A) begins as a lung infection.
B) is caused by a Gram-negative coccus.
C) results from exposure to bird droppings.
D) is transmitted in respiratory aerosols.
E) results from exposure to bird droppings and begins as a lung infection.

Question 26

The condition known as "pinkeye" may be the result of infection with

A) Haemophilus influenzae.
B) Trypanosoma brucei.
C) Acanthamoeba.
D) Clostridium botulinum.
E) Chlamydia trachomatis.

Question 27

Rodents are the natural hosts for the virus which causes

A) Eastern equine encephalitis.
B) Western equine encephalitis.
C) Venezuelan equine encephalitis.
D) St. Louis encephalitis.
E) West Nile encephalitis.

Question 28

Which of the following nervous system diseases is treated with both passive and active immunization?

A) arboviral encephalitis
B) botulism
C) primary amebic meningoencephalopathy
D) rabies
E) West Nile encephalitis

Question 29

Which of the following is classified as a spongiform encephalopathy?

A) botulism
B) variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
C) Hansen's disease
D) arboviral encephalitis
E) African sleeping sickness

Question 30

One summer, bird watchers and zookeepers in a major city notice that more birds than usual are dying. At the same time reports of human encephalitis cases increase sharply. The cerebrospinal fluid of human patients is clear. Similar enveloped RNA virus particles are detected in samples from both birds and humans. Which of the following might be responsible for this outbreak?

A) an arbovirus
B) coxsackie A virus
C) Cryptococcus neoformans
D) Neisseria meningitidis
E) rabies virus

Question 31

Viral meningitis is also called "aseptic meningitis"

A) to indicate no bacteria are involved.
B) because it is frequently a nosocomial infection.
C) since it is treatable with antiviral medications.
D) because it is vaccine-preventable.
E) to distinguish it from encephalitis.

Question 32

The leading cause of meningitis in adults is

A) Haemophilus influenzae.
B) Streptococcus pneumoniae.
C) Streptococcus agalactiae.
D) coxsackie A virus.
E) West Nile virus.

Question 33

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease can be prevented by avoiding

A) contact with mosquitoes.
B) contaminated waterways.
C) consumption of contaminated meat.
D) contact with bird droppings.
E) consumption of undercooked meat.

Question 34

The least common type of polio is

A) nonparalytic polio.
B) an asymptomatic infection.
C) minor polio.
D) paralytic polio.
E) postpolio syndrome.

Question 35

Which of the following causes of viral meningitis is transmitted by the fecal-oral route?

A) equine encephalitis virus
B) California encephalitis virus
C) West Nile virus
D) echovirus
E) rabies

Question 36

Slow deterioration of muscle function occurring over many years occurs in

A) West Nile encephalitis.
B) postpolio syndrome.
C) African sleeping sickness.
D) minor polio.
E) leprosy.

Question 37

A child is brought to the hospital with a high fever, nausea, and vomiting, and complaining of headache. The cerebrospinal fluid collected by spinal tap is cloudy and contains spherical cells which stain Gram-positive. These signs and symptoms are consistent with

A) primary amebic encephalitis caused by Naegleria.
B) cryptococcal meningitis due to infection with Cryptococcus neoformans.
C) bacterial meningitis probably due to Streptococcus.
D) tetanus resulting from infection with Clostridium botulinum.
E) aseptic meningitis from infection with Neisseria meningitidis.

Question 38

A young man is experiencing fever and severe headaches, and is having difficulty staying awake. He reports having spent time in Africa on a missionary trip several months ago. Recently he spent time in a park where he went swimming in the lake and was bitten by a bat he attempted to catch. His cerebrospinal fluid is nearly clear, and contains long, slender, mobile cells. This description indicates infection with

A) Acanthamoeba.
B) an enterovirus.
C) rabies virus.
D) Neisseria meningitidis.
E) Trypanosoma brucei.

Question 39

All of the following diseases can be fatal if untreated EXCEPT

A) primary amebic meningoencephalopathy.
B) trachoma.
C) rabies.
D) tetanus.
E) cryptococcal meningitis.

Question 40

Listeria monocytogenes pathogenesis is directly related to its ability to

A) produce a powerful toxin.
B) form endospores.
C) produce a polysaccharide capsule.
D) live and reproduce inside its host's cells.
E) resist most antimicrobial agents.

Question 41

As a means of diagnosing bacterial meningitis, a procedure known as a spinal tap is performed. In this procedure, __________ fluid is removed.

Question 42

Horses and humans are considered "dead-end" hosts for arboviruses.

Question 43

Tetanospasmin is released from Clostridium tetani cells as long as they are alive.

Question 44

When a strong T cell immune response against Mycobacterium leprae fails to develop, __________ leprosy results.

Question 45

Naturally-occurring poliomyelitis has occurred as recently as 2007 in the Americas.

Question 46

Listeriolysin O is an enzyme that allows Listeria monocytogenes to avoid __________ by host cells.

Question 47

Trypanosoma brucei infections are characterized by cyclic waves of parasitemia that occur roughly every 7 to 10 days.

Question 48

The oral polio vaccine (OPV) was developed by __________. (Use last name only.)

Question 49

Cryptococcal meningitis can affect both healthy and immunocompromised individuals.

Question 50

The binding of the neurotransmitter __________ to its receptors on muscle cells causes a muscle to contract.

Question 51

An example of a spongiform encephalopathy is mad cow disease.

Question 52

Contact lens solution, swimming pools, and dialysis units can be a source of a fatal nervous system disease called primary amebic __________.

Question 53

Clostridium botulinum can grow in the intestinal tracts of both infants and adults.

Question 54

Small subcutaneous hemorrhages called __________ are sometimes present in cases of meningitis.

Question 55

Viral meningitis is usually more serious than bacterial meningitis.

Question 56

The neurotoxins of Clostridium botulinum produce __________ paralysis by preventing muscle contractions.

Question 57

Fungi rarely infect the central nervous system.

Question 58

The only natural hosts for infection with the microbe mycobacterium leprae are humans and __________.

Question 59

Human diploid cell vaccine is used to prevent polio.

Question 60

Bacterial meningitis may progress to __________ if the blood-brain barrier is breached.

Question 61

Cryptococcus appears to inhibit phagocytic killing mechanisms by the production of __________.

Question 62

The __________, a membrane lining the backside of the eyelids and all but the center of the cornea, is often infected by Haemophilus influenzae.

Question 63

Infectious proteins called __________ cause diseases such as scrapie and mad cow disease.

Question 64

Describe the pathogenesis associated with Trypanosoma brucei that makes it impossible for infected individuals to ever become immune to the pathogen.

Question 65

Describe how Chlamydia trachomatis causes blindness.

Question 66

The presence of parasites in the blood, called __________, is a defining feature of African sleeping sickness.

Question 67

Negri bodies are a characteristic microscopic finding in the diagnosis of __________.

Question 68

Compare and contrast the pathogenicity of Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium tetani, including mechanisms of action of their toxins and disease manifestations.

Question 69

Discuss the two types of poliovirus vaccines available, including the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Question 70

Compare and contrast African sleeping sickness and primary amebic meningoencephalopathy.