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Chapter 16: Disease and Epidemiology

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Chapter 16: Disease and Epidemiology

17 problems · 0 figures

16-1 §16.MC source ↗

Which is the most common type of biological vector of human disease?
  1. a.
    viruses
  2. b.
    bacteria
  3. c.
    mammals
  4. d.
    arthropods

Answer

D. arthropods

16-2 §16.MC source ↗

A mosquito bites a person who subsequently develops a fever and abdominal rash. What type of transmission would this be?
  1. a.
    mechanical vector transmission
  2. b.
    biological vector transmission
  3. c.
    direct contact transmission
  4. d.
    vehicle transmission

Answer

B. biological vector transmission

16-3 §16.MC source ↗

Cattle are allowed to pasture in a field that contains the farmhouse well, and the farmer’s family becomes ill with a gastrointestinal pathogen after drinking the water. What type of transmission of infectious agents would this be?
  1. a.
    biological vector transmission
  2. b.
    direct contact transmission
  3. c.
    indirect contact transmission
  4. d.
    vehicle transmission

Answer

D. vehicle transmission

16-4 §16.MC source ↗

A blanket from a child with chickenpox is likely to be contaminated with the virus that causes chickenpox (Varicella-zoster virus). What is the blanket called?
  1. a.
    fomite
  2. b.
    host
  3. c.
    pathogen
  4. d.
    vector

Answer

A. fomite

16-5 §16.MC source ↗

Which of the following would NOT be considered an emerging disease?
  1. a.
    Ebola hemorrhagic fever
  2. b.
    West Nile virus fever/encephalitis
  3. c.
    Zika virus disease
  4. d.
    Tuberculosis

Answer

D. Tuberculosis

16-6 §16.MC source ↗

Which of the following would NOT be considered a reemerging disease?
  1. a.
    Drug-resistant tuberculosis
  2. b.
    Drug-resistant gonorrhea
  3. c.
    Malaria
  4. d.
    West Nile virus fever/encephalitis

Answer

D. West Nile virus fever/encephalitis

16-7 §16.MC source ↗

Which of the following factors can lead to reemergence of a disease?
  1. a.
    A mutation that allows it to infect humans
  2. b.
    A period of decline in vaccination rates
  3. c.
    A change in disease reporting procedures
  4. d.
    Better education on the signs and symptoms of the disease

Answer

B. A period of decline in vaccination rates

16-8 §16.MC source ↗

Why are emerging diseases with very few cases the focus of intense scrutiny?
  1. a.
    They tend to be more deadly
  2. b.
    They are increasing and therefore not controlled
  3. c.
    They naturally have higher transmission rates
  4. d.
    They occur more in developed countries

Answer

B. They are increasing and therefore not controlled

16-12 §16.FITB source ↗

The ________ collects data and conducts epidemiologic studies in the United States.

Answer

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC

16-13 §16.FITB source ↗

________occurs when an infected individual passes the infection on to other individuals, who pass it on to still others, increasing the penetration of the infection into the susceptible population.

Answer

Propagated spread

16-14 §16.FITB source ↗

A batch of food contaminated with botulism exotoxin, consumed at a family reunion by most of the members of a family, would be an example of a ________ outbreak.

Answer

point source

16-15 §16.FITB source ↗

A patient in the hospital with a urinary catheter develops a bladder infection. This is an example of a(n) ________ infection.

Answer

nosocomial or healthcare-associated

16-16 §16.FITB source ↗

A ________ is an animal that can transfer infectious pathogens from one host to another.

Answer

vector

16-17 §16.FITB source ↗

The ________ collects data and conducts epidemiologic studies at the global level.

Answer

WHO (World Health Organization)

16-9 §16.M source ↗

Match each term with its description.

___sporadic disease A. the number of disease cases per 100,000 individuals
___endemic disease B. a disease in higher than expected numbers around the world
___pandemic disease C. the number of deaths from a disease for every 10,000 individuals
___morbidity rate D. a disease found occasionally in a region with cases occurring mainly in isolation from each other
___mortality rate E. a disease found regularly in a region

Answer

D, E, B, A, C

16-10 §16.M source ↗

Match each type of epidemiology study with its description.

___experimental A. examination of past case histories and medical test results conducted on patients in an outbreak
___analytical B. examination of current case histories, interviews with patients and their contacts, interpretation of medical test results; frequently conducted while outbreak is still in progress
___prospective C. use of a set of test subjects (human or animal) and control subjects that are treated the same as the test subjects except for the specific treatment being studied
___descriptive D. observing groups of individuals to look for associations with disease
___retrospective E. a comparison of a cohort of individuals through the course of the study

Answer

C, D, E, B, A

16-11 §16.M source ↗

Match each pioneer of epidemiology with their contribution.

___Florence Nightingale A. determined the source of a cholera outbreak in London
___Robert Koch B. showed that surgical wound infection rates could be dramatically reduced by using carbolic acid to disinfect surgical tools, bandages, and surgical sites
___Joseph Lister C. compiled data on causes of mortality in soldiers, leading to innovations in military medical care
___John Snow D. developed a methodology for conclusively determining the etiology of disease

Answer

C, D, B, A

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Problems and answers are adapted from Microbiology by Nina Parker, Mark Schneegurt, Anh-Hue Thi Tu, Philip Lister and Brian M. Forster, OpenStax, and are used under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence. Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/microbiology/pages/1-introduction. Illustrations: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. This adaptation is released under the same licence, is non-commercial, and is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by OpenStax or Rice University.