HLTH.

7508 Microbiology
and Responses to Infection
Workbook
Semester 2, 2015

TE WNANGA A IHENGA
School of Nursing and Health Studies

HLTH.7508 Microbiology and Responses to Infection

Student ID No: 27025037

WORKBOOK QUESTIONS

1. Outline the theory of spontaneous generation (1 marks)

The hypothetical process by which living organisms develop from the non-living matter.
2. What is pasteurisation? ( 1 marks)
The process of the destruction of harmful bacteria by heating the wine to 56 oC for 30
minutes to prevent the souring of wine while retaining its quality.

3. List Kochs postulates (4 marks)

The organism must always be present in every case of the disease.

It must be possible to isolate the organism from the diseased host and grow it in
pure culture.
The pure culture of the organism, when inoculated into a new susceptible host,
must produce the same symptoms of disease.
It must be possible to recover the organism from the experimental host.

4. How did Ignaz Semmelweis demonstrate transmission of infection?(1 mark)

5. Genus species and strain are commonly used to classify organisms with a specific
format. Name two organisms using this system and format (3 marks)
1. Genus - Escherichia
Species coli
Strain - O157
2. Genus- klebsiella
Species- pneumonococcus
Stain -

HLTH.7508 Microbiology and Responses to Infection

Student ID No: 27025037

6. What are bacteria and what are the six basic shapes? Give an example of each (6
marks)
Bacteria are single celled prokaryotic organisms characterized by a lack of a membrane
bound nucleus or other defined cell organelles. The six basic shapes of various bacteria
with example are as follows:
1. Spherical- Staphylococcus aureus
2. Rod shape- Lactobacillus acidophilus
3. Spiral- Campylobacter jejuni
4. Curved comma-shaped- Vibrio cholera
5. Spirochaete- Leptospira interrogans
6. Helical- Helicobacter pylori

7. Describe the structure of acid fast bacteria. ( 3 marks)

These bacteria have an outer layer consists of similar peptidoglycan wall that of Grampositive bacteria but it is covered by a thick waxy layer that interferes with the Gram-stain
procedure.

8. Where is Clostridium tetani found, what disease does it cause and how does it
survive in that environment (3 marks).
Clostridium tetani is found as spores in soil and manure or in the gastrointestinal tract of
animals. The spores are extremely resistant to drying, disinfectants and heat (and are
resistant to boiling for 20 minutes) and can survive in soil for years . It cause rare but serious
illness called Tetnus.

9. Some bacteria have extensions that enable them to adhere or move. What are they
called? (1 mark).
The organ that bacteria use for the purpose of movement is called flagella.

10. What does the abbreviation ESBL stand for? (.5 mark)

HLTH.7508 Microbiology and Responses to Infection

Student ID No: 27025037

Extended spectrum Beta Lactamase

11. What are the four genomic variations possible in viruses? (2 marks)
The four genomic variation possible in viruses are:1.
2.
3.
4.

Single-stranded RNA (ssRNA)

Doubled-stranded RNA (dsRNA)
Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)
Doubled-stranded DNA (dsDNA)

12. Why are viruses categorized as obligate intra-cellular parasites? What kind of
organism can act as host cells for viruses? (2 marks)
Viruses lack most of the enzymes necessary for the metabolism and synthesis of complex
molecules and so can replicate only inside a living (host) cell.

13. What is a bacteriophage and what are bacteriophages used for? (1 marks)
Those viruses that infects or eats on bacteria are known as bacteriophage. they are used
for bacteria typing.

14. Describe the most common forms of viral transmission and give an example of a viral
disease for each. (4 marks)

HLTH.7508 Microbiology and Responses to Infection

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Student ID No: 27025037

Faecal-oral transmission-polio, hepatitis A

Transmission by vectors-dengue, encephalitis
By body fluids- AIDS, Hepatitis B
Airborne transmission- chickenpox and herpes
Foetal and neonatal transmission-HIV, hepatitis B

15. Describe three viral evasion mechanisms? (3 marks)

1. Virus hide in the infected cells so virus antigens are not expressed on outside of
infected cell and protects it from cytotoxic T-cells.
2. By mutating their genome- some viruses continually mutate their genome structure
o that previously formed antibodies are no longer effective against them.
3. Some viruses exists as extracellular virions and some as intracellular genomes.
So virions are more resistant to physical stress than intracellular genomes but are
more susceptible to humoral immune response. Therefore virus genome is
maintained on host cell by limited gene expression and can evade the host
immune response.

16. What are the six stages involved in viral replication? (3 mark)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Adsorption
Penetration
Uncoating
Synthesis
Assembly
Release

17. Give an example of 4 diseases caused by prions. What does PRION stand for? (3
marks)
PRION stands for Proteineous infectious agent consist only of only protein.
Examples:1. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs).
2. Kuru
3. Creutzfedlt-Jakob disease(CJD)
4. Scrapie.

18. What is the term used to describe microorganisms that only affect immunocompromised individuals? List 5 factors that can result in an immuno-compromised
state. (3 marks)

HLTH.7508 Microbiology and Responses to Infection

Student ID No: 27025037

Five factors resulting in an immune-compromised state are:1. Genetic or developmental defects in the immune system usually those present at
birth.
2. Infections.
3. Cancer
4. Malnutrition
5. Use of anti-inflammatory drugs and other immunosuppressive therapies.

19. What characteristics are required for pathogenicity? ( 2 marks)

Characteristics of pathogenicity includes the ability to: Gain entry to the host.
Attach to the host tissues and multiply
Evade the host defence mechanism
Damage tissue and produce disease symptoms.

20. What is the difference between a true pathogen and an opportunistic pathogen?
How might the host condition influence the successful infection of these two
categories of organism? (4 marks)
Any pathogen which is capable of causing a disease in normal hosts and can come from
anywhere from the environment is known as true pathogen. True pathogen have virulence
whereas an opportunistic pathogens are those which would not usually cause an infection
but becomes pathogenic under certain conditions such as depression of immune system.

21. What is virulence and how does it benefit an organism? (1 marks)

The degree of pathogenicity of a microorganism, or its relative ability to cause a disease is
called virulence. Virulence of the bacteria is caused by the capsule present on its surface
which protects it from being digested by the WBCs.

22. Identify 2 virulence factors and briefly outline how they contribute to an organisms
virulence (2 marks)
1. An organisms capacity to transform the host cells.
2. Ability of an organism to adhere to the surface by secreting a sticky, gelatinous
substance, glycocalyx.

23. Complete the table below, identifying 4 innate immune system mechanisms and
briefly note the method of innate immunity. ( 4 marks)

HLTH.7508 Microbiology and Responses to Infection

Mechanism

Student ID No: 27025037

Method

Chemical

Saliva (lactoferrin), tears, nasal secretion, stomach acids (HCL)

and vaginal secretions, Lysozymes, semen (spemine),
cytokines.

Mechanical

Coughing, sneezing, shedding and gagging.

Inflammation

Appendicitis, conjunctivitis

Cellular responses

Macrophages, Neutrophils, natural killer cells, kupffer cells,

dendritic cells

24. Complete the following table: (2.5 marks)

Site of
Name of phagocyte
phagocyte
Macrophages
Lung
Microglia
Brain
Blood

Monocytes

Liver

Kupffer cells

Bone

Osteoclasts

25. What are aminoglycosides useful for (1 mark)

Aminoglycosides are most useful in the treatment of sepsis due to Gram-negative
aerobes and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

26. What type of specimens are needed to identify Bordetella pertussis? (2 marks)
Nasopharyngeal (NP) swab or NP aspirates.

27. What the difference between broad and narrow spectrum is as applied to antibiotics?
(1 mark)

Broad-spectrum antibiotics are those which acts against a wide range of diseasecausing bacteria. A broad-spectrum antibiotic acts against both Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria, in contrast to a narrow-spectrum antibiotic, is effective against specific
6
families of bacteria. An example of a commonly used broad-spectrum antibiotic is ampicillin.

HLTH.7508 Microbiology and Responses to Infection

Student ID No: 27025037

28. What are the 4 main ways antibacterial agents affect bacterial cells? ( 2 marks)
The four main ways antibacterial agents affect bacterial cells are inhibition of: nucleic acid synthesis
protein synthesis
synthesis of bacterial cell wall
function of the bacterial cell membrane
29. Why are organisms in hospitals more likely to exhibit resistant properties than
organisms in the general community? (1 mark)
Some strains of microorganisms in the hospitals may develop resistance on exposure to
antimicrobial and disinfectants and emerged as resistant strains whereas the chances of
exposures to these chemicals and drugs are less in the community.

30. What are the two most common resistant bacteria in New Zealand hospitals and
which Ministry of Health documents provide guidelines for staff? (2 marks)
ESBL (Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase) and MRSA (Methicillin Resistant
Staphylococcus Aureus). The ministry of health document named the guidelines for the
control of multidrug resistant organism in New Zealand provide guidelines to staff.
.

31. Identify 6 elements of antibiotic stewardship (3 marks)

Six elements of antibiotic stewardship:1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Leadership commitment
Accountability
Drug expertise
Action
Tracking
Education

32. Identify 2 main types of fungi and give an example of each. (2 marks)
The 2 main types of the fungi are:1. Yeast- are unicellular organisms, usually spherical to oval in shape and bounded
by s cell wall. They are slightly larger than bacteria and contains various
subcellular organelles e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
2. Moulds- are filamentous fungi that are capable of growth in many different
habitats and consists of long filamentous hyphae which grow by extending the
terminal cell at the tip of the filament e.g. Penicillium notatum.
7

HLTH.7508 Microbiology and Responses to Infection

Student ID No: 27025037

33. Give 4 examples of opportunistic infections. ( 2 marks)

1.
2.
3.
4.

AIDS
Candidiasis
Diarrhoea
Vaginitis

34. List the 4 main groups of protozoa and give an example of a disease caused by each
group. ( 4 marks)
Protozoa Group

Disease

Sarcodina (amoebae)

Amoebic dysentery

Mastigophora (flagellates)

Vaginitis

Ciliates

Balantidial dysentery

Sporozoa

Malaria

There are no more questions.