Deck 24: Infections of the Central Nervous System

Question 1

Exotoxins produced by _____ have an affinity for the central nervous system.

A)Neisseria meningitidis
B)Clostridium botulinum
C)Salmonella enteritidis
D)Streptococcus pneumoniae
E)Haemophilus influenzae type b

Answer 1

Clostridium botulinum

Question 2

Honey should not be given to infants under the age of 1 year because it may contain spores of _____ that,in severe cases,may lead to paralysis.

A)Bacillus subtilis
B)Clostridium botulinum
C)Clostridium tetani
D)Streptomyces spp.

Answer 2

Clostridium botulinum

Question 3

Since its introduction in 1990,a vaccine administered to children to prevent infections by _____ has markedly decreased the number of cases of meningitis caused by this pathogen.

A)Rubella virus
B)Measles virus
C)Streptococcus pneumoniae
D)Haemophilus influenzae type b
E)Polio virus

Answer 3

Haemophilus influenzae type b

Question 4

All of the following describe characteristics shared by Clostridium tetani and Clostridium botulinum except

A)They are both Gram-positive
B)They both form spores
C)They both have mortality rates of about 10-20% in untreated individuals
D)They both produce exotoxins in the vegetative state
E)They are both found in soil

Question 5

Which of the following is not associated with bacterial meningitis?

A)Haemophilus influenzae
B)Clostridium botulinum
C)Neisseria meningitidis
D)Streptococcus pneumoniae
E)Staphylococcus aureus

Question 6

The _____ form of rabies occurs in wild animals.

A)Urban
B)Zoonotic
C)Sylvatic
D)Encephalitic

Question 7

The _____ provides nutrients and removes cellular waste from the central nervous system.

A)Dura mater
B)Capillary endothelium
C)Cerebrospinal fluid
D)Pia mater

Question 8

Which of the following is a condition observed in severe cases of tetanus in which the body arches with the individual's head and heels moving toward each other?

A)Cranial nerve palsy
B)Muscular paralysis
C)Acute encephalitis
D)Opisthotonos
E)Spongiform encephalopathy

Question 9

A viral infection isolated in the meninges without involvement of neural tissue is referred to as

A)Chronic meningitis
B)Purulent meningitis
C)Encephalitis
D)Paralytic poliomyelitis
E)Aseptic meningitis

Question 10

Which of the following is a mismatched pair?

A)Infant botulism: honey
B)Acute CNS infection: Epstein-Barr virus
C)Tetanus: lockjaw
D)DTaP vaccine: poliomyelitis
E)Viral meningitis: enterovirus

Question 11

All of the following are characteristic of most cases of aseptic meningitis except

A)More than 90% of cases are caused by enterovirus
B)Self-limiting with symptoms lasting 7-10 days
C)High fever, stiff neck, and headache
D)Diagnosis requires cerebrospinal fluid sample
E)Treated with antibiotics

Question 12

The mortality rate for rabies is

A)10%
B)20%
C)50%
D)90%
E)100%

Question 13

Cerebrospinal fluid is located in the

A)Blood vessels surrounding the cerebrum
B)Subarachnoid space
C)Dura mater
D)Spinal cord
E)Cerebrum

Question 14

Which of the following is not a route used by bacteria for central nervous system (CNS)infections?

A)From infected sinuses and mastoid air spaces
B)From the respiratory system across a fracture at the base of the skull
C)Via peripheral sensory nerves
D)From the bloodstream across the blood-brain barrier
E)Via anatomical defects in structures encasing the CNS

Question 15

All of the following are layers of the meninges except

A)Pia mater
B)Arachnoid mater
C)Choroid mater
D)Dura mater

Question 16

Which of the following does not cause chronic meningitis?

A)Rabies virus
B)Toxoplasma gondii
C)Cryptococcus neoformans
D)Mycobacterium tuberculosis
E)Treponema pallidum

Question 17

Clostridium tetani is transmitted by

A)The ingestion of preformed toxin in tainted food
B)Close or prolonged contact with infected individuals
C)The bite of an arthropod vector
D)Blood transfusion
E)Exposure of a wound to contaminated soil

Question 18

The _____ restricts the translocation of material between the blood and the central nervous system.

A)Cerebrospinal fluid
B)Skull bone
C)Arachnoid mater
D)Blood-brain barrier
E)Cerebrum

Question 19

Rabies replicates in the

A)Gray matter
B)Cerebrospinal fluid
C)Dura mater
D)Arachnoid mater
E)Pia mater

Question 20

Which of the following is a mismatched pair?

A)Haemophilus influenzae type b: acute purulent meningitis
B)Clostridium tetani: neurogenic toxin
C)Botulinum toxin: increased synthesis and release of acetylcholine
D)Measles: Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis
E)Rabies virus: Negri bodies

Question 21

Which of the following is not a property of prions?

A)Contain single-stranded DNA
B)Transmissible between different species
C)Resistant to proteases
D)Spongiform encephalopathy
E)Are proteins

Question 22

Answer true or false to the reason given in the following statement: It is important to know which organism is producing the meningitis,because the severity of the illness as well as the treatment will differ.

Question 23

Which of the following statements regarding cryptococcosis is true?

A) Cryptococcosis is caused by an un-encapsulated form of yeast called Cryptococcus neoformans
B) Cryptococcosis is common in AIDS patients and in people with defects in cell-mediated immunity
C) Cryptococcal meningitis is transmitted by arthropod vectors
D) C. neoformans causes acute polyneuritis

Question 24

Answer true or false to the reason given in the following statement: Poliomyelitis is essentially nonexistent in developed countries because of intensive supportive care.

Question 25

Which of the following show symptoms of respiratory paralysis or failure?

A)Polio
B)Rabies
C)Tetanus
D)Botulism
E)All of the above

Question 26

Compare abortive to paralytic polio in relation to the following statement: It is a non-specific febrile illness.

A)Abortive
B)Paralytic
C)Both abortive and paralytic
D)Neither abortive or paralytic

Question 27

Compare abortive to paralytic polio in relation to the following statement: It is essentially nonexistent in developed countries.

A)Abortive
B)Paralytic
C)Both abortive and paralytic
D)Neither abortive or paralytic

Question 28

Answer true or false to the reason given in the following statement: Because there is extensive cerebrospinal fluid in the CNS,any organism that circulates in the blood and can enter the cerebrospinal fluid can cause meningitis

Question 29

Answer true or false to the reason given in the following statement: It is important to know the causative agent of aseptic meningitis,because antibiotic therapy can prevent the spread of the infection.

Question 30

Which of the following is not an example of an arbovirus?

A)West Nile virus
B)Saint Louis encephalitis
C)Eastern equine encephalitis
D)Western equine encephalitis
E)Rabies virus

Question 31

Which of the following causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis?

A)Prions
B)Trypanosomes
C)Cryptococcus neoformans
D)Naegleria spp.
E)Giardia duodenalis

Question 32

Identify which of the following persistent infections of the central nervous system is a mismatched pair.

A)Human immunodeficiency virus: AIDS dementia complex
B)Progressive panencephalitis: rubella
C)Measles: subacute sclerosing panencephalitis
D)Kuru: prions
E)Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease: persistent enterovirus infection

Question 33

Answer true or false to the reason given in the following statement: Because the exotoxin is the problem not the bacteria,antibiotic treatment of the bacterial infection is ineffective.

Question 34

Compare abortive to paralytic polio in relation to the following statement: Recovery can take six months.

A)Abortive
B)Paralytic
C)Both abortive and paralytic
D)Neither abortive or paralytic

Question 35

Compare abortive to paralytic polio in relation to the following statement: It can be prevented by vaccination.

A)Abortive
B)Paralytic
C)Both abortive and paralytic
D)Neither abortive or paralytic

Question 36

Answer true or false to the reason given in the following statement: Because botulism is caused by an endotoxin,antibiotic therapy is given to patients with the wound form.

Question 37

All of the following regarding rabies are correct except

A)Transmitted by infected secretions
B)Irreversibly fatal if symptoms develop without vaccination
C)Early immunization can block invasion of nervous tissue
D)A common symptom is dry mouth
E)Can be transmitted by inhalation

Question 38

Answer true or false to the reason given in the following statement: Because there is no room for swelling of the nervous tissue enclosed by the skull,any pathology that occurs in the brain and results in increased intracranial pressure can have disastrous and potentially lethal consequences.

Question 39

Answer true or false to the reason given in the following statement: Spongiform is a term used to describe prion diseases because of the vacuoles seen in the brain cortex and cerebellum.

Question 40

Compare abortive to paralytic polio.For which is the following statement true: Cases have been reported in the US after 1980.

A)Abortive
B)Paralytic
C)Both abortive and paralytic
D)Neither abortive or paralytic

Question 41

Answer true or false to the reason given in the following statement: The pathology of prion infections occurs because of the multiplication of normal prion proteins by contact with infectious prions.

Question 42

Describe the three forms of botulism.

Question 43

Explain the similarities and differences between the two types of polio vaccine.Which is recommended for immunocompromised patients and why?

Question 44

Discuss how prions differ from conventional pathogens that cause persistent infections of the central nervous system.Name four diseases caused by prions in humans.

Question 45

How do the effects on the nervous system differ between botulism and tetanus?

Question 46

Identify two ways in which polio virus can gain entry into the central nervous system (CNS).Describe three types of infection that may result from the polio virus.

Question 47

Explain why swelling in the central nervous system (CNS)poses potentially harmful consequences.Identify and differentiate two different forms of swelling in the nervous tissue.