Deck 8: Epidemiology: How Diseases Are Spread

Question 1

Communicable diseases

A)are infections transmitted by insects.
B)are infections acquired from animals.
C)can be spread by aerosols.
D)may be caused by a toxin.
E)all of the above.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A)Pathogens that cause disease in humans cannot survive outside the human body.
B)Communicable diseases are only caused by pathogens which are able to survive outside the human body.
C)To cause disease pathogenic microorganisms must be transmitted directly from person to person.
D)Opportunistic pathogens always cause disease.
E)None of the above.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which of the following diseases is NOT transmitted by the respiratory route?

A)Smallpox.
B)Chickenpox.
C)German measles.
D)Typhoid.
E)Meningitis.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Pathogens that survive for long periods in soil do so because

A)the temperature of soil is usually low and favours preservation.
B)some can form endospores which are very resistant to extreme conditions.
C)dry conditions are important for some organisms to survive.
D)they have larval stages which mature in soil.
E)they are not destroyed by light.

Question 5

A fomite is

A)a sponge used for bathing a patient with antiseptic.
B)a disease spread by infected animals.
C)a human pathogen that is able to survive in soil or water.
D)an inanimate object that can carry microorganisms on its surface.
E)an antiseptic solution used for decontamination of hands.

Question 6

Which of the following is a non-communicable disease?

A)Tetanus.
B)Chickenpox.
C)Measles.
D)Influenza.
E)Hepatitis B.

Question 7

In order to cause an infection a microorganism must be able to

A)gain access to the host.
B)adhere to host tissue.
C)resist or evade host defences.
D)damage host tissue.
E)all of the above.

Question 8

Which of the following infections does NOT have the skin as a portal of entry?

A)Hookworm infection.
B)Tetanus.
C)Impetigo.
D)Measles.
E)Malaria.

Question 9

The source of an infection is the

A)place where the organism lives in the environment.
B)person or object from which an infection is acquired.
C)person who originally acquired the infection from an animal.
D)person whose infection can't be treated with antibiotics.
E)none of the above.

Question 10

Pathogens that enter the body via the respiratory route

A)may produce symptoms in other parts of the body.
B)only cause infections in the lungs.
C)are almost always opportunistic pathogens.
D)are almost always bacteria.
E)are always readily identified by a throat swab.

Question 11

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A)Transmission by the faecal-oral route is always associated with water.
B)Water is a reservoir for a number of human pathogens.
C)Once the water supply is contaminated with faeces it cannot be treated to remove the pathogens.
D)Bacteria are not carried in aerosols of water vapour.
E)All of the above.

Question 12

Rabies is an example of

A)a communicable disease.
B)a zoonosis.
C)a biofilm infection.
D)an opportunistic infection.
E)an endogenous infection.

Question 13

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Viruses do not use the same portals of entry as bacteria.
B)The portal of entry is where a microorganism enters the bloodstream.
C)It is necessary to know the portal of entry of a disease before it can be treated.
D)The portal of entry of a disease is always the same as the portal of exit.
E)All of the above.

Question 14

The reservoir of an infection is

A)referred to as a fomite.
B)always a person who has the disease.
C)the habitat where the microorganisms can persist for long periods.
D)always another human or other animal.
E)the same as the source of the infection.

Question 15

Dengue fever is an example of

A)a communicable disease.
B)a congenital infection.
C)an arboviral infection.
D)an opportunistic infection.
E)a zoonosis.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A)Endogenous infections are caused by organisms already present on the body.
B)Infections caused by a person's own microbiota are regarded as exogenous.
C)Endogenous infections have to penetrate the skin to cause disease.
D)Thrush is usually an exogenous infection.
E)Endogenous infections are usually caused by viruses.

Question 17

Which of the following diseases is NOT usually contracted by the respiratory route?

A)Pneumonia.
B)Hepatitis B.
C)Measles.
D)Tuberculosis.
E)Aspergillosis.

Question 18

Which of the following can act as a reservoir for organisms that cause disease?

A)Soil.
B)Humans.
C)Birds.
D)Animals.
E)All of the above.

Question 19

Faecal-oral transmission refers to the transmission of

A)microorganisms which only affect the gastrointestinal system.
B)pathogens which are ingested and then excreted in faeces.
C)toxins produced in food before it is ingested.
D)microorganisms carried on a person's hands.
E)infections acquired by consumption of faeces.

Question 20

Human reservoirs of infection are people who

A)are showing symptoms of the disease.
B)are in the incubation or prodromal phase of the disease.
C)carry a latent form of the disease.
D)are chronic carriers of the disease.
E)all of the above.

Question 21

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A)A person without signs of illness may be infectious.
B)The normal microbiota of the body can cause infections.
C)Zoonotic organisms may infect humans and animals.
D)Parasitic diseases may have more than one host.
E)All of the above.

Question 22

If it is stated that 7% of a population have a particular disease at a given time,the figure of 7% is the ______________ of the disease.

A)incidence.
B)prevalence.
C)attack rate.
D)morbidity.
E)case rate.

Question 23

Biological transmission refers to

A)the spread of a pathogen on the body of an insect such as a fly.
B)transmission of an organism that has multiplied in an insect vector.
C)infections transmitted by animals.
D)transmission of a pathogen in food.
E)all of the above.

Question 24

Seroprevalence is defined as the

A)presence of antibodies in serum.
B)number of people who are not immune to a particular disease.
C)prevalence of a particular disease in the community.
D)number of people who have antibodies to a particular disease.
E)absence of a particular disease.

Question 25

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A)Epidemiologists are only concerned with mortality figures for infectious diseases.
B)Epidemiologists try to determine the reasons for an outbreak of infection.
C)In order to classify an outbreak as an epidemic the index case must be located.
D)Morbidity data refer to the number of deaths from a disease.
E)Epidemiology focuses on the diseases that an individual person has had.

Question 26

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Epidemics are caused by diseases for which there is no cure.
B)A pandemic is a series of epidemics which occur around the world.
C)A disease that is always present in a community is said to be endemic.
D)Diseases that occur as unrelated cases are said to be sporadic.
E)Some endemic diseases show seasonal variation.

Question 27

Portals of exit are

A)the various orifices of the human body.
B)limited to the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts in humans.
C)any place on the body where a secretion occurs.
D)the areas of the body from which pathogens are shed.
E)the ways by which the body eliminates pathogens.

Question 28

The collection and analysis of data on the occurrence and spread of a disease is called

A)primary prevention.
B)surveillance.
C)infection control.
D)prospective study.
E)disease classification.

Question 29

If a baby acquires an infection from its mother during birth it is called a

A)congenital infection.
B)genital infection.
C)portal infection.
D)maternal infection.
E)perinatal infection.

Question 30

Common vehicle transmission means that

A)the people have been infected by different organisms from the same source.
B)the people have become infected from a single source such as food or water.
C)adequate handwashing practices have not been observed.
D)the people have acquired the infection while travelling.
E)infection has occurred in a plane.

Question 31

If it is stated that 12% of a population acquire a particular disease each year,the figure of 12% is the ______________ of the disease.

A)incidence.
B)prevalence.
C)attack rate.
D)morbidity.
E)case rate.

Question 32

Which of the following definitions is FALSE?

A)An outbreak is an increase in the number of cases of a disease in excess of the normal.
B)The incidence of disease is the number of cases seen in a specific period.
C)Prevalence is the number of people infected with the disease at any one time.
D)Morbidity is illness caused by a disease.
E)The index case is any person who shows the characteristic signs and symptoms of a disease.

Question 33

A congenital infection is

A)an infection of a baby in the womb.
B)a genital infection caused by multiple organisms.
C)any infection that involves the genital area.
D)an infection that is transmitted during sexual activity.
E)an infection of a baby during birth.

Question 34

An example of an infection which is transmitted by an arthropod vector is

A)rabies.
B)polio.
C)Murray Valley encephalitis.
D)cytomegalovirus infection.
E)SARS.

Question 35

Which of the following is spread by mosquitoes?

A)Malaria.
B)Ross River fever.
C)Murray Valley encephalitis.
D)Dengue fever.
E)All of the above.

Question 36

Which of the following diseases is contracted by faecal-oral transmission?

A)Salmonellosis.
B)Pneumonia.
C)Tuberculosis.
D)Measles.
E)Aspergillosis.

Question 37

Which of the following is FALSE? Evidence-based practice

A)refers to the development of procedures and practices based on research.
B)involves the use of quantitative data.
C)sometimes uses retrospective data.
D)relies on qualitative and anecdotal data.
E)is important in improving clinical outcomes.

Question 38

If a person acquires an infection by handling a contaminated telephone it is termed

A)an accidental transmission.
B)a common vehicle transmission.
C)an indirect contact transmission.
D)a mechanical transmission.
E)a superficial transmission.

Question 39

Epidemiology is

A)the study of the cause,spread and control of disease.
B)the systematic collection of information about disease.
C)the development of methods to prevent disease.
D)the analysis of factors contributing to disease.
E)all of the above.

Question 40

Diseases that are always present in a community are described as

A)epidemic.
B)systemic.
C)contagious.
D)endemic.
E)chronic.