Deck 19: Epidemiology

Question 1

A cluster of cases in a specific population occurring in a brief period of time is called a(n)

A)endemic.
B)pandemic.
C)outbreak.
D)attack break.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The reservoir of infection for botulism and tetanus is

A)humans.
B)soil.
C)water.
D)animals.
E)soil AND water.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The natural habitat of a pathogen is referred to as its

A)home.
B)primary inhabitance.
C)infectious site.
D)reservoir.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Inanimate objects capable of transferring infectious disease agents are

A)vectors.
B)fomites.
C)vehicles.
D)reservoirs.

Question 5

Vertical transmission involves

A)droplet transmission.
B)fomites.
C)pasteurization.
D)pregnant woman to fetus.

Question 6

Important sources of contamination in crowded locations are

A)blood.
B)droplets of saliva or mucus.
C)restrooms.
D)kitchens.

Question 7

Large respiratory droplets typically travel no farther from point of release than

A)3 meters.
B)5 meters.
C)1 meter.
D)20 meters.

Question 8

Diseases constantly present in a population are called

A)epidemic.
B)chronic.
C)latent.
D)endemic.

Question 9

An epidemic that spreads worldwide is called a(n)

A)epidemical.
B)endemic.
C)pandemic.
D)syndemic.

Question 10

A dramatic increase in the incidence of a specific disease in a given population is referred to as a(n)

A)pandemic.
B)endemic.
C)epidemic.
D)mortality.

Question 11

The number of cases of a specific disease per one hundred people exposed is called the

A)morbidity rate.
B)index rate.
C)mortality rate.
D)obesity rate.

Question 12

Gonorrhea is a disease that may be

A)zoonotic.
B)pandemic.
C)syndemic.
D)asymptomatic.

Question 13

The single most important measure to prevent the spread of disease is

A)home cooking.
B)canning.
C)pasteurization.
D)hand washing.

Question 14

The doctor responsible for introducing the idea of hand washing before attending patients was

A)Klein.
B)Semmelweis.
C)Koch.
D)Pasteur.

Question 15

Another name for childbed fever is

A)S.aureus intoxication.
B)toxic shock syndrome.
C)Klein's disease.
D)puerperal fever.

Question 16

Diseases that primarily exist in animals, but may be transmitted to humans are called

A)parasitic.
B)symbiotic.
C)zoonotic.
D)epidemic.

Question 17

The fraction of a population who die from a specific disease is called

A)mortality rate.
B)morbidity rate.
C)attack rate.
D)incidence rate.

Question 18

Which of the following is called a zoonotic disease?

A)measles
B)typhoid
C)common cold
D)plague

Question 19

Diseases that can be transmitted from one person to another are termed

A)symptomatic.
B)clinical.
C)acute.
D)latent.
E)communicable.

Question 20

Apparently healthy people who may transmit a pathogen they harbor are called

A)vectors.
B)fomites.
C)vehicles.
D)carriers.

Question 21

The first identified case in an outbreak is called the

A)starter case.
B)traceable case.
C)primary case.
D)index case.

Question 22

The World Health Organization (WHO) is part of the

A)Food and Drug Administration.
B)Department of Health and Human Services.
C)Department of Human Resources.
D)United Nations.
E)North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Question 23

The type of epidemiological study that determines the characteristics of the persons involved and the time and place of the outbreak is called a(n)

A)inspection study.
B)descriptive study.
C)cohortive study.
D)retrospective study.

Question 24

So far, the only disease that has been globally eradicated is

A)polio
B)smallpox
C)measles
D)diphtheria

Question 25

The amount of infecting agent received by susceptible individuals is called the

A)exposure.
B)number.
C)dose.
D)level.

Question 26

A new serotype of Vibrio cholerae, V. cholerae 0139, has picked up the ability to produce

A)pili.
B)flagella.
C)capsules.
D)toxin.

Question 27

When an infectious disease cannot spread in a population because it lacks a significant number of susceptible hosts, the phenomenon is referred to as

A)protected population.
B)active immunity.
C)passive immunity.
D)herd immunity.

Question 28

An experimental study in which neither the doctor nor the patient knows who is getting the actual treatment is called

A)single-sided.
B)double-sided.
C)double-blind.
D)double-barrier.

Question 29

The publication of the CDC that reports new cases of reportable infectious diseases is titled

A)Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
B)State Health News Letter (SHNL).
C)Federal Report of Infectious Disease (FRID).
D)National Morbidity Weekly.

Question 30

If the number of people who become ill during an epidemic rises and falls rapidly, this is called a(n)

A)propagated epidemic.
B)promulgated epidemic.
C)common source epidemic.
D)index epidemic.

Question 31

Which of the following is not a mechanical vector?

A)fomite
B)human
C)fly
D)flea
E)fomite AND human

Question 32

Schistosomiasis has increased in areas where

A)snails have become a delicacy.
B)crayfish are eaten.
C)dams have been built.
D)swamps have been drained.

Question 33

In order to prevent spread of microorganisms from the microbiology laboratory, the room air should be

A)under positive pressure.
B)under negative pressure.
C)filtered.
D)chilled.
E)under negative pressure AND filtered.

Question 34

The period of time between exposure to an agent and the onset of disease signs and symptoms is called the

A)prodromal phase.
B)decline phase.
C)incubation period.
D)lag phase.

Question 35

WHO has targeted for elimination of

A)polio.
B)dracunculiasis.
C)measles.
D)plague.
E)polio, dracunculiasis AND measles.

Question 36

If the number of people who become ill during an epidemic rises gradually, this is called a(n)

A)propagated epidemic.
B)promulgated epidemic.
C)common source epidemic.
D)index epidemic.

Question 37

The immunity of some black Africans to malaria is probably due to their

A)general health.
B)cultural practices.
C)age.
D)genetic background.

Question 38

Which of the following is not a vector?

A)fomite
B)human
C)fly
D)flea
E)fomite AND human

Question 39

Because of the natural evolution of microorganisms, it is necessary to use techniques that allow distinguishing them at the level of

A)species.
B)genera.
C)family.
D)strain.

Question 40

Droplet nuclei typically travel no farther from point of release than

A)3 meters.
B)5 meters.
C)1 meter.
D)They are suspended indefinitely.

Question 41

The member of the hospital staff who surveys the types and numbers of nosocomial infections is called the

A)head nurse.
B)staff control.
C)attending physician.
D)infection control practitioner.

Question 42

Generally, the smaller the infective dose, the lower the chance of disease.

Question 43

A placebo is a mock drug.

Question 44

Approximately what percentage of hospitalized patients may develop a nosocomial infection?

A)0%
B)5%
C)20%
D)70%

Question 45

Transmission-Based Precautions

A)is a course health workers must take.
B)are guidelines from WHO for dealing with emerging diseases.
C)are instructions on the care of all patients.
D)are guidelines to use with patients infected with a highly transmissible or epidemiologically important pathogen.

Question 46

Diseases with long incubation periods are more likely to spread extensively.

Question 47

Prevention of patient-to-personnel transmission of disease keys on limiting contact with

A)patients.
B)personnel.
C)administrators.
D)physicians.
E)body fluids.

Question 48

Which of the following may be associated with nosocomial disease?

A)Enterococcus species.
B)Escherichia coli.
C)Pseudomonas species.
D)Staphylococcus aureus.
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 49

A fly may serve as a mechanical vector.

Question 50

The very young and the elderly are more susceptible to infectious disease.

Question 51

In a double-blind test the treating physician knows who is getting the actual treatment.

Question 52

Nosocomial infections are those acquired at a hospital.

Question 53

A gradual rise in numbers during an epidemic indicates a common source epidemic.

Question 54

Which of the following contributes to nosocomial disease?

A)susceptible population
B)hospital environment
C)other patients
D)patient's own normal flora
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 55

Which of the following is recommended by the Standard Precautions guidelines?

A)glove use
B)hand washing
C)a face shield
D)antibiotic use
E)glove use, hand washing AND a face shield

Question 56

An infection acquired during hospitalization is referred to as

A)antibiotic-induced.
B)therapeutic.
C)medication-stimulated.
D)nosocomial.

Question 57

Cross-sectional surveys are very useful in establishing cause of a disease.

Question 58

The portal of entry typically has little effect on the course of a disease.

Question 59

The guidelines designed for prevention of nosocomial disease during care of all patients is called

A)Universal Disposables.
B)Disinfection Manifesto.
C)Asepsis Preference.
D)Standard Precautions.

Question 60

The threat of bioterrorism

A)is due largely to the ease of spread and severity of diseases.
B)is exaggerated in light of the efficiency of our healthcare system.
C)may include rarely seen infectious agents.
D)has prompted WHO to prepare a readiness plan.
E)is due largely to the ease of spread and severity of diseases AND may include rarely seen infectious agents.

Question 61

Human population growth and expansion contribute to emergence of diseases.

Question 62

Why is it important to include a placebo in a scientific study to assess the effectiveness of a drug?

A)It's actually unethical to do so-if you have a drug that you know to be effective, it's unethical to withhold that treatment from an ill patient.
B)A placebo-treated group will determine if the changes observed in the drug-treated illness group are due to a psychological effect rather than a physiologic/pharmacologic one.
C)It isn't scientifically important-a placebo simply helps investigators satisfy the legal requirements of the Food and Drug Administration in their testing process.
D)A placebo-treated group will determine if the changes observed in the illness in this non-treated group are due to a physiologic/pharmacologic effect rather than a psychological one.

Question 63

The rate of nosocomial infections is often relatively high in emergency room settings. Explain the most likely reason why this might be so.

A)Often, the most acutely ill or most traumatically-injured individuals are found in emergency rooms.The combination of these two groups can lead to very easy spread of infectious agents into exposed tissues/organs of individuals in such physical locations.
B)Emergency rooms are inherently less sterile than other areas of hospitals due to the speed of the treatments.Speed becomes the desired trait over cleanliness during the response.
C)Emergency rooms are inherently less sterile than other areas of hospitals due to the large number of homeless people/drug addicts/prostitutes that seek treatment in these locations.
D)Patients brought into emergency rooms are often brought in by ambulances/EMTs.These individuals are less cautious with universal protocols for protection of both themselves and patients than physicians are.

Question 64

Explain the most likely reason why smallpox was successfully eradicated but rabies probably never will be.

A)Smallpox was ONLY found in humans; rabies is found in numerous animal reservoirs.We cannot reasonably eliminate rabies in all of the animal reservoirs that exist.
B)Smallpox was far easier to vaccine the world population against than rabies is due to the lower number of injections required-it becomes a compliance issue.
C)Since there are very few cases of rabies each year, there is little financial incentive to push health organizations to eradicate the illness through worldwide vaccination.
D)The symptoms of smallpox are easier to identify than the symptoms of rabies, so some carriers of rabies are not accurately diagnosed.This can lead to asymptomatic carriers present within the population of susceptible individuals, spreading the virus.

Question 65

Explain how the incubation period can influence the spread of an infectious agent.

A)An infectious carrier will only spread the illness when they are showing acute symptoms.As such, the length of incubation period is not important for spreading the illness.
B)Depending on the microbe and the illness, an asymptomatic carrier in the incubation period might be shedding infectious microbes to his/her surroundings.In such a case, a longer incubation period would lead to a greater spread of the disease as the carrier comes into contact with more individuals while he/she is generally appearing to be healthy.
C)A very short incubation period will place a patient into the highly infectious active disease state sooner.Since people avoid contact with actively ill individuals, a very short incubation period will always lead to a DECREASE in the spread of an infectious disease.
D)A very long incubation period will place a patient into the highly infectious active disease state later.Since people generally avoid contact with actively ill individuals, a very long incubation period will always lead to a DECREASE in the spread of an infectious disease.

Question 66

Which of the following is NOT a political/societal reason for a decrease in rates of childhood immunizations?

A)Distrust of the healthcare body administering the vaccinations.
B)Distrust of the government funding the vaccination process.
C)A lack of a proper 'cold chain' for stable transport of vaccines into tropical areas.
D)Distrust of the scientific community advocating for administration of vaccines.