20 questions
Which situation would most favor the spread of infectious disease?
overcrowding
use of vaccines
small population
sanitary conditions
Which illness is spread by eating food that has been contaminated by bacteria?
botulism
influenza
tuberculosis
Lyme disease
Which most likely spreads disease such as rabies or Lyme disease?
contact with an infected animal
contact with an infected human
ingesting contaminated food
breathing contaminated air
Which will most likely occur when the quality of sanitation in an area improves?
The number of disease carriers will increase.
The number of infectious disease cases will decrease.
The amount of available food resources will decrease.
The amount of necessary medical treatment will increase.
Which best distinguishes an infectious disease from a noninfectious disease?
Infectious diseases can be cured with antibiotics; noninfectious diseases cannot.
Infectious diseases can be prevented with vaccines; noninfectious diseases cannot.
Infectious diseases can be spread from one organism to another; noninfectious diseases cannot.
Infectious diseases cannot be transmitted from one organism to another; noninfectious diseases can.
The Black Plague killed about 100 million people in the fourteenth century. The bacteria that caused the plague was carried by fleas on rats and traveled great distances. Which would have most directly limited the spread of the disease?
cleaner water sources
refrigeration of food and water
reduction in the rodent population
better medicines to treat infected individuals
A mosquito can spread the West Nile Virus but remains unaffected by the disease. Which best describes the mosquito?
vector
parasite
mutagen
pathogen
Which is the main risk associated with being a disease carrier?
A carrier can unknowingly spread the disease to others.
A person is more difficult to cure if he or she is a carrier.
A person is more likely to die once he or she becomes a carrier.
A carrier can use up all the available medicine in a local area.
Scientists are trying to prevent an epidemic of a highly contagious disease. What information should the scientists study first?
how the disease reproduces
the treatment of the disease
the symptoms of the disease
how the disease is transmitted
Which action would most quickly reduce the spread of an infectious disease?
isolating all carriers
improving sanitary conditions
restricting population growth of the vector
increasing the population density of humans in the area.
Which poses the greatest challenge for researchers when attempting to locate the source of a nationwide food based salmonella outbreak?
cost of the study
time needed for the study
number of people affected
number of food producers involved
Which would most likely be the responsibility of an epidemiologist?
treating a microbial infection
diagnosing a microbial infection
studying genetically modified plants
determining the source of a disease outbreak
How are an epidemic and pandemic alike?
Both involve a viral infection
Both involve a bacterial infection.
Both involve an outbreak of a disease.
Both involve small numbers of infected individuals
Which antibiotic was developed from a fungus and has been used to cure many illnesses that could have led to epidemics?
aspirin
ethanol
penicillin
acetaminophen
Which best compares an epidemic and a pandemic?
An epidemic is caused by bacteria, while a pandemic is caused by a virus.
A pandemic is caused by humans, while an epidemic is spread by insects and rodents.
A pandemic occurs in a small region, while an epidemic occurs in a much larger region.
An epidemic affects a small population of humans, while a pandemic affects a large population of humans.
On Monday, Kari exhibits no symptoms of a viral illness. She is sick on Tuesday and stays home from school. On Wednesday, her friends stay home with the same illness, despite having no contact with Kari when she was sick on Tuesday. Which is the most likely explanation of how the other students became sick?
Kari was immune to the virus but infected the other students
The virus mutated and infected the other students after Kari got sick
Kari was infected with the virus before she experienced any symptoms
The virus was a carrier, and the other students were infected after Kari got sick.
Which best describes treatments for viral epidemics and viral pandemics?
Both are easily treated using a combination of vaccination and antibiotics
Epidemics are treated with vaccinations, while pandemics are treated with antibiotics
Epidemics are treated with antibiotics, while pandemics are treated with vaccinations.
Neither is easily treated because viral infections are easier to prevent than they are to treat.
How are quarantines used to slow the spread of an epidemic?
Quarantines prevent individuals from eating food that is potentially contaminated
Quarantines allow enough time for antibiotics to take effect in infected individuals.
Quarantines keep infected individuals separate so they cannot pass the disease to others.
Quarantines keep people inside their homes so that family members can provide care for each other.
Which would most likely prevent a cold virus from spreading through a classroom?
Have a large supply of tissues on the teacher's desk.
Have all students wash their hands regularly with soap.
Have all students shake hands regularly with all students.
Have all students wipe desk with dry paper towel as end of class.
Which would most likely aid in the prevention of an epidemic?
drinking lots of fluids
isolating infected individuals
researching non-infectious diseases
taking antibiotics before symptoms start