Question 1

How does the Department of Transportation (DOT) define an infectious substance?

Accepted Answer

A) Any substance capable of transmitting disease 
B) A material known to contain or is suspected of containing a pathogen that causes disease in humans or animals 
C) Any substance that can cause disease in animals 
D) A bacterium, virus, prion, or virion 
A) Any substance capable of transmitting disease 
B) A material known to contain or is suspected of containing a pathogen that causes disease in humans or animals 
C) Any substance that can cause disease in animals 
D) A bacterium, virus, prion, or virion

Question 2

If transport of the specimen is delayed, the specimen can be maintained by all of the following except:

Accepted Answer

A) preservatives. 
B) transport or holding medium. 
C) saltwater. 
D) anticoagulants. 
A) preservatives. 
B) transport or holding medium. 
C) saltwater. 
D) anticoagulants.

Question 3

If a 0.001 mL quantitative loop is used to inoculate plate media for a urine culture, each colony of growth represents how many organisms per milliliter in the original sample?

Accepted Answer

A) 1 organism 
B) 10 organisms 
C) 100 organisms 
D) 1000 organisms 
A) 1 organism 
B) 10 organisms 
C) 100 organisms 
D) 1000 organisms

Question 4

A night technician is working in microbiology when a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimen comes in.Almost simultaneously, the technician is called to the emergency department to draw blood on seriously injured car crash victims.How would the technician store the CSF until time permits to work on the CSF specimen?

Accepted Answer

A) Put the specimen in the refrigerator where it is good for 4 hours at 4° C. 
B) Leave the specimen on the shelf where it is good for 6 hours at room temperature. 
C) Pour the specimen into a tube of broth. 
D) Place the specimen in a 35° C incubator for 6 hours. 
A) Put the specimen in the refrigerator where it is good for 4 hours at 4° C. 
B) Leave the specimen on the shelf where it is good for 6 hours at room temperature. 
C) Pour the specimen into a tube of broth. 
D) Place the specimen in a 35° C incubator for 6 hours.

Question 5

A technician receives a package from a supplier of quality control microorganisms.The package has a small watertight vial in a larger watertight tube.The larger tube has some bubble wrap around it, but the larger tube is just placed in the fiberboard box.All of the following was right with this packaging except the:

Accepted Answer

A) microorganisms are placed in a small watertight vial. 
B) small vial is placed in a larger watertight tube. 
C) primary receptacle was placed into the secondary container with no absorbent material. 
D) outer container is made of fiberboard. 
A) microorganisms are placed in a small watertight vial. 
B) small vial is placed in a larger watertight tube. 
C) primary receptacle was placed into the secondary container with no absorbent material. 
D) outer container is made of fiberboard.

Question 6

Why is a clean-catch midstream urine used for a urine culture as opposed to a clean-catch urine?

Accepted Answer

A) The first portion of the urine flow washes contaminants from the urethra and the next portion of urine is more representative of the bladder. 
B) The name was changed, but the procedure remains the same and the entire amount of urine from the bladder is cultured. 
C) No urine is free from contamination, so just wipe the external genitalia and void into the cup. 
D) Catheterized specimens are also called clean-catch midstream urine specimen. 
A) The first portion of the urine flow washes contaminants from the urethra and the next portion of urine is more representative of the bladder. 
B) The name was changed, but the procedure remains the same and the entire amount of urine from the bladder is cultured. 
C) No urine is free from contamination, so just wipe the external genitalia and void into the cup. 
D) Catheterized specimens are also called clean-catch midstream urine specimen.

Question 7

To help the microbiologist report microbiology results to the physician in a timely fashion to ensure the appropriate treatment, the technician may use the _____ report.

Accepted Answer

A) antibiogram 
B) infection control summary 
C) preliminary 
D) final 
A) antibiogram 
B) infection control summary 
C) preliminary 
D) final

Question 8

Data generated by the laboratory is directly influenced by:

Accepted Answer

A) the quality of the specimen and its condition when received. 
B) the physician's decision to do the test. 
C) quality control performed on a monthly basis. 
D) the air quality in the laboratory. 
A) the quality of the specimen and its condition when received. 
B) the physician's decision to do the test. 
C) quality control performed on a monthly basis. 
D) the air quality in the laboratory.

Question 9

A safe method of transporting aspirated wound material would be in a(n):

Accepted Answer

A) leak-proof bag. 
B) tube of broth. 
C) anaerobic transport system. 
D) plastic container. 
A) leak-proof bag. 
B) tube of broth. 
C) anaerobic transport system. 
D) plastic container.

Question 10

If a test is not considered appropriate for the specimen, which of the following should happen?

Accepted Answer

A) Discipline the ward clerk for ordering the wrong test. 
B) Discipline the nurse for ordering the wrong test. 
C) Hold a training session to teach hospital staff about correctly ordering tests. 
D) The laboratory needs to communicate with the physician to determine exactly what needs to be done. 
A) Discipline the ward clerk for ordering the wrong test. 
B) Discipline the nurse for ordering the wrong test. 
C) Hold a training session to teach hospital staff about correctly ordering tests. 
D) The laboratory needs to communicate with the physician to determine exactly what needs to be done.

Question 11

An enrichment broth is:

Accepted Answer

A) a broth that has growth enhancers to allow fastidious organisms to flourish. 
B) used as a supplement to agar plates to detect small numbers of most aerobes, anaerobes, and microaerophiles. 
C) a liquid medium designed to encourage the growth of small numbers of a particular organism while suppressing other flora. 
D) a broth that allows the grouping of microbes based on different characteristics demonstrated in the medium. 
A) a broth that has growth enhancers to allow fastidious organisms to flourish. 
B) used as a supplement to agar plates to detect small numbers of most aerobes, anaerobes, and microaerophiles. 
C) a liquid medium designed to encourage the growth of small numbers of a particular organism while suppressing other flora. 
D) a broth that allows the grouping of microbes based on different characteristics demonstrated in the medium.

Question 12

Nonroutine specimens can include all the following specimen types except:

Accepted Answer

A) vein grafts. 
B) syringe needles. 
C) water samples. 
D) multiple-lumen catheters. 
A) vein grafts. 
B) syringe needles. 
C) water samples. 
D) multiple-lumen catheters.

Question 13

All the following principles of specimen collection are fundamental to ensuring appropriate specimen management except:

Accepted Answer

A) collect the appropriate quantity of specimen. 
B) label the specimen accurately with the specific anatomic site and the patient information. 
C) select the correct anatomic site to collect the specimen. 
D) it is acceptable to delay transport of the specimen to the laboratory if it is in transport media. 
A) collect the appropriate quantity of specimen. 
B) label the specimen accurately with the specific anatomic site and the patient information. 
C) select the correct anatomic site to collect the specimen. 
D) it is acceptable to delay transport of the specimen to the laboratory if it is in transport media.

Question 14

Types of specimens that can be batch processed include all the following except:

Accepted Answer

A) specimens for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (G
C)  cultures. 
B) specimens for acid-fast bacillus (AF
B)  cultures. 
C) stool specimens for ova and parasite tests that are collected in preservatives. 
D) specimens for viral culture collected in viral transport media. 
A) specimens for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (G
C)  cultures. 
B) specimens for acid-fast bacillus (AF
B)  cultures. 
C) stool specimens for ova and parasite tests that are collected in preservatives. 
D) specimens for viral culture collected in viral transport media.

Question 15

Specimens such as blood, bone marrow, and synovium are mixed with anticoagulants right after collection.Why should this occur?

Accepted Answer

A) Anticoagulants often dissolve part of the bacteria's cell wall and congeal many bacteria into groups. 
B) Organisms become bound up in the clotted material and are difficult to isolate. 
C) It ensures the specimen will work when using an automated spreader device. 
D) It kills off the normal flora and only leaves the pathogens in the specimen. 
A) Anticoagulants often dissolve part of the bacteria's cell wall and congeal many bacteria into groups. 
B) Organisms become bound up in the clotted material and are difficult to isolate. 
C) It ensures the specimen will work when using an automated spreader device. 
D) It kills off the normal flora and only leaves the pathogens in the specimen.

Question 16

The specimen of choice for detecting gastrointestinal pathogens is:

Accepted Answer

A) a urine specimen. 
B) vomit. 
C) a swab of the anal area with no feces on it. 
D) a stool specimen. 
A) a urine specimen. 
B) vomit. 
C) a swab of the anal area with no feces on it. 
D) a stool specimen.

Question 17

What is the primary goal in the transportation of specimens to the laboratory?

Accepted Answer

A) To get the specimen to the laboratory by the end of the day 
B) To maintain the specimen as near its original state as possible with minimal deterioration 
C) To place the specimen in formalin and then transport it to the laboratory 
D) To allow the specimen to sit, as long as it is delivered to the laboratory within 2 to 3 days after collection 
A) To get the specimen to the laboratory by the end of the day 
B) To maintain the specimen as near its original state as possible with minimal deterioration 
C) To place the specimen in formalin and then transport it to the laboratory 
D) To allow the specimen to sit, as long as it is delivered to the laboratory within 2 to 3 days after collection

Exam 6: Specimen Collection and Processing

How does the Department of Transportation (DOT) define an infectious substance?

If transport of the specimen is delayed, the specimen can be maintained by all of the following except:

If a 0.001 mL quantitative loop is used to inoculate plate media for a urine culture, each colony of growth represents how many organisms per milliliter in the original sample?

Why is a clean-catch midstream urine used for a urine culture as opposed to a clean-catch urine?

To help the microbiologist report microbiology results to the physician in a timely fashion to ensure the appropriate treatment, the technician may use the _____ report.

Data generated by the laboratory is directly influenced by:

A safe method of transporting aspirated wound material would be in a(n):

If a test is not considered appropriate for the specimen, which of the following should happen?

An enrichment broth is:

Nonroutine specimens can include all the following specimen types except:

All the following principles of specimen collection are fundamental to ensuring appropriate specimen management except:

Types of specimens that can be batch processed include all the following except:

Specimens such as blood, bone marrow, and synovium are mixed with anticoagulants right after collection.Why should this occur?

The specimen of choice for detecting gastrointestinal pathogens is:

What is the primary goal in the transportation of specimens to the laboratory?

Bacterial Cell Structure, Physiology, Metabolism, and Genetics

Host-Parasite Interaction

The Laboratory Role in Infection Control

Control of Microorganisms

Performance Improvement in the Microbiology Laboratory

Microscopic Examination of Materials From Infected Sites

Use of Colony Morphology for the Presumptive Identification of Microorganisms

Biochemical Identification of Gram-Negative Bacteria

Immunodiagnosis of Infectious Diseases

Applications of Molecular Diagnostics

Antimicrobial Agent Mechanisms of Action and Resistance

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Staphylococci

Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and Other Catalase-Negative, Gram-Positive Cocci

Aerobic Gram-Positive Bacilli

Neisseria Species and Moraxella Catarrhalis

Haemophilus and Other Fastidious Gram-Negative Bacilli

Enterobacteriaceae

Vibrio, Aeromonas, Plesiomonas, and Campylobacter Species

Nonfermenting and Miscellaneous Gram-Negative Bacilli

Anaerobes of Clinical Importance

The Spirochetes

Chlamydia, Rickettsia and Similar Organisms

Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

Medically Significant Fungi

Diagnostic Parasitology

Clinical Virology

Agents of Bioterror and Forensic Microbiology

Biofilms: Architects of Disease

Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Infections

Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

Gastrointestinal Infections and Food Poisoning

Infections of the Central Nervous System

Bacteremia and Sepsis

Urinary Tract Infections

Genital Infections and Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Infections in Special Populations

Zoonotic Diseases

Ocular Infections

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