Final Exam Questions

Question 1

What value is most closely tied to transmission?

Answer 1

beta

Question 2

What is a disease’s R0?

test q

Answer 2

intrinsic growth rate

Question 3

What is the causative agent of the black plague?

test q

Answer 3

Yersinia pestis

Question 4

What does the R stand for in SIR models?

Answer 4

Recovered host

Question 5

A primary conclusion from the study of malaria genomics is that…

a. Malaria has evolved into several species in humans
b. Malaria was acquired from rodents
c. The different species of malaria were acquired by humans from different primates
d. At least some species of malaria were acquired from humans via birds

test q

Answer 5

c. The different species of malaria were acquired by humans from different primates

Question 6

What is the most appropriate term for an infectious disease that has spread through a vast area, such as several continents or the whole world, and has affected a large number of people?

a. Epidemic
b. Endemic
c. Pandemic
d. Emetic

test q

Answer 6

c. Pandemic

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a zoonotic disease?

a. The Plague
b. West Nile virus
c. HIV
d. Trick question: all of the above are zoonotic

test q

Answer 7

d. Trick question: all of the above are zoonotic

Question 8

What variables need to be taken into consideration when constructing an SIR model?
Hint: 8 things

Answer 8

-Births
-Deaths
-Susceptible hosts
-Transmission
-Infected hosts
-Recovery
-Recovered hosts
-Loss of Immunity

Question 9

Based on your understanding of SIR models, how are they likely to be used in epidemiology?

a. Predict the timeline of infections
b. Assess the rate at which resistance will spread within a population
c. Model transmission of diseases of differing virulence
d. All of the above

test q

Answer 9

d. All of the above

Question 10

How did Iceland, Finland, Milan, and Nuremburg avoid the first wave of the plague?

test q

Answer 10

Geography, Draconian preventative measures (stop travel and board up houses of infected individuals), higher overall sanitation

Question 11

What characterizes the septicemic version of plague?

test q

Answer 11

Blood infection

Question 12

How are zoonotic diseases transmitted to humans?

Answer 12

From animals to humans

Question 13

In 1993, Milwaukee had an outbreak of gastrointestinal disease. What was the name of the organism that caused this outbreak?

a. Cryptosporidium
b. Vibrio cholerae
c. Giardia
d. Yersinia pestis

Answer 13

a. Cryptosporidium

Question 14

What is the name of the microorganism that is the causative agent of amebic dysentery?

a. Entamoeba
b. Giardia
c. Vibrio cholerae
d. Yersinia pestis
e. Cryptosporidium

Answer 14

a. Entamoeba

Question 15

Diseases that are always present in a community usually at low, more or less constant, frequency are classified as….

test q

Answer 15

endemic

Question 16

A disease vector is a(n)….

test q

Answer 16

Organism, usually an arthropod, that transmits a disease

Question 17

The anopheline mosquitoes originally fed on which animal before moving to humans?

Answer 17

cattle

Question 18

Which disease is caused by Plasmodium spp.?

Answer 18

malaria

Question 19

What is least likely to allow for a disease to transmit effectively?

a. Using a vector as a mode of transmission
b. Having infection windows where the host is asymptomatic
c. Being extremely pathogenic and causing rapid host death
d. Is not very pathogenic to the host and there is high recovery
e. Being capable of infecting multiple species

test q

Answer 19

c. Being extremely pathogenic and causing rapid host death

Question 20

How is the black plague transmitted?
a. Infected rat feces
b. Fleas infected with Yersinia pestis
c. Inhalation of infected droplets from someone with pneumonic plague
d. All of the above
e. Both b and c

test q

Answer 20

e. Both b and c

Question 21

Which is not a type of black plague?

a. Bubonic
b. Necrotic
c. Septicemic
d. Pneumonic
e. They are all black plague variants

Answer 21

b. Necrotic

Question 22

Florence Nightingale was an English social reformer, statistician, and founder of modern…

Answer 22

nursing

Question 23

This infection of the intestines results in severe diarrhea with the presence of blood and mucus in the feces. This condition is brought about by the microorganism Entamoeba and is common in tropical areas with untreated water. _______________ can be spread through consuming uncooked food and contaminated drinking water.

a. Hepatitis
b. Cholera
c. Measles
d. Dysentery

Answer 23

d. Dysentery

Question 24

In the simplest SIR models, after an individual has recovered from an infection….

test q

Answer 24

Immunity from that infection is permanent

Question 25

Which of the following is not an important component of SIR models? a. Host susceptibility b. The rate at which new hosts get infected c. Host recovery d. Host mortality due to disease test q

Answer 25

d. Host mortality due to disease

Question 26

Intrinsic growth rate (R0).... a. Must be greater than 1 for a disease to spread b. Must be less than 1 for a disease to spread c. Must be equal to 1 for a disease to spread d. Must be equal to zero for a disease to spread

Answer 26

a. Must be greater than 1 for a disease to spread

Question 27

Which of the following factors have contributed to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic? a. High prevalence of asymptomatic carriers b. Long incubation period c. Globalization: unrestricted movement of people d. All of the above test q

Answer 27

d. All of the above

Question 28

Which of the following predicts that newly-acquired zoonotic pathogens tend to start off highly virulent but eventually evolve towards being less virulent? a. Microbial coevolution theory b. Hygiene hypothesis c. Microbial diversity hypothesis d. Old Friends hypothesis test q

Answer 28

d. Old Friends hypothesis

Question 29

How does vaccination (i.e., immunization) affect the SIR model? a. Number of susceptible hosts increases, and number of infected population decreases b. R0 of infectious disease decreases as number of recovered population increases c. Number of susceptible hosts decreases in proportion to natural birth/death ratio d. Number of recovered population increases as number of infected population decreases e. Both c and d

Answer 29

e. Both c and d

Question 30

When using the SIRS model, how was the infectious period related to the recovery rate?

Answer 30

As the infectious period increases, the recovery rate decreases

Question 31

Identify the species of malaria that is responsible for most of the mortality associated with the disease. a. P. falciparum b. P. vivax c. P. malariae d. P. ovale test q

Answer 31

a. P. falciparum

Question 32

Identify the historical figure who died from the respiratory illness he/she initially discovered a. Clara Barton b. Michelle Williams c. T.K Takaki d. Carlo Urbani

Answer 32

d. Carlo Urbani

Question 33

Survivors of which plague pass on a genetic mutation that makes carriers immune to HIV?

Answer 33

bubonic plague

Question 34

Which disease is classified as a neglected tropical disease? a. Influenza A b. Heart disease c. Tetanus d. Dengue hemorrhagic fever test q

Answer 34

d. Dengue hemorrhagic fever

Question 35

In order for a disease to be transmissible, what must be true? a. an index case is present b. an R0 > 1 c. a population of susceptible individuals d. all of the above

Answer 35

d. all of the above

Question 36

What SIR group does a person who has been vaccinated fall into? test q

Answer 36

R-recovered

Question 37

What factors have likely lowered the transmission rate for COVID-19? A) quarantine B) social distancing C) wearing a mask D) all of the above

Answer 37

D) all of the above

Question 38

Which of the following historical figures was known as the “Father of Hand Hygiene?” a. Edward Jenner b. Louis Pasteur c. Ignaz Semmelweis d. John Graunt test q

Answer 38

c. Ignaz Semmelweis

Question 39

Which of the following was not a reason some European countries had a slower spread during the Plague? a. Geographic location b. Strict quarantine measures c. Involvement in major Mediterranean trade routes d. Clean streets, fewer animals roaming the streets test q

Answer 39

c. Involvement in major Mediterranean trade routes

Question 40

The black plague will always be remembered as one of the deadliest epidemiological events in history, however, there was one good thing that came out of the black plague—a gene mutation that leads to HIV immunity. What is that mutated gene? test q

Answer 40

CCR5

Question 41

Which historical figure and their achievement are incorrectly paired? a. Louis Pasteur—the rabies vaccine b. John Snow—tracking and stopping the Cholera outbreak in Britain c. Robert Koch—Developing criteria for connecting a disease to an specific pathogen d. Alice Hamilton—Founder of modern nursing test q

Answer 41

d. Alice Hamilton—Founder of modern nursing

Question 42

Which of the following statements about virulence is incorrect? a. Pathogens will always evolve towards decreased virulence b. Surrogates are used to assess virulence c. Virulence and damage to host are related d. Virulence considers the amount of pathogens present as well as harm done to the host test q

Answer 42

a. Pathogens will always evolve towards decreased virulence

Question 43

How did Milan stave off the Black Plague for as long as they did? a. Despotic rule by the Visconti b. It was geographically isolated c. It was a very hygienic city d. It did not have a major port for oversea trade

Answer 43

a. Despotic rule by the Visconti

Question 44

Introducing sustainable crops such as rice in Kenya and Tanzania led to a malaria outbreak. Which of these was NOT a contributing factor to the outbreak? a. Displacement of the antelopes and other wildlife that were reservoirs for the disease b. Decreased habitat for the mosquito vector species c. Displacement of cattle d. Alteration of the ecological environment test q

Answer 44

b. Decreased habitat for the mosquito vector species

Question 45

What is the name of the major hookworm species in the Americas? a. Caenorhabditis elegans b. Ascaris lumbricoides c. Enterobius vermicularis d. Necator americanus

Answer 45

d. Necator americanus

Question 46

Which is the least common variety of plague but the most infectious?

Answer 46

Pneumonic

Question 47

Vibrio cholerae is a pathogenic organism that causes severe dehydration of the affected individual and it can lead to death. What sanitary precautions were taken to stop the spread of cholera in London in the mid-1800s? a. Social distancing (6 feet distance) and preventive 14-day isolation post-travel b. Blocking access to water suspected of being contaminated c. Boiling water before drinking it d. Drinking chamomile tea along test q

Answer 47

b. Blocking access to water suspected of being contaminated

Question 48

Plasmodium falciparum “jumped” into humans from what species? test q

Answer 48

Gorillas

Question 49

Which of the following are incorrectly paired? A) Wakefield – anti-vaccination movement B) Koch – postulates C) Jesty – scurvy D) Semmelweis – childbed fever

Answer 49

C) Jesty – scurvy

Question 50

Why does the proportion of I (infectious) individuals typically trend to zero in SIR models? a. Overall population size drops to zero due to disease-associated mortality. b. Proportion of susceptible population decreases and proportion of recovered individuals increases, reducing transmission rates. c. Infected (= infectious) individuals all die. d. R0 of infectious diseases is generally low. test q

Answer 50

b. Proportion of susceptible population decreases and proportion of recovered individuals increases, reducing transmission rates

Question 51

Quarantine measures such as lockdowns prevent / slow epidemics because they.... test q

Answer 51

minimize beta

Question 52

Clara Barton is best known for.... test q

Answer 52

Founding the American Red Cross

Question 53

Valerie Apgar is best known for....

Answer 53

Work on assessment of infants

Question 54

In terms of their importance in disease transmission, insect vectors are more common in _____________, whereas animal reservoirs are more common in ____________

Answer 54

tropical zones, temperate zones

Question 55

What do you call a disease someone is born with?

Answer 55

Congenital

Question 56

Which factors are included in the disease triangle? a) agent b) environment c) host d) all of the above test q

Answer 56

d) all of the above

Question 57

What is a vehicle?

Answer 57

An object in the environment that directly introduces the pathogen to the patient

Question 58

The term that describes the ability to get into a susceptible host is described as ______________?

Answer 58

Invasiveness

Question 59

The first disease case in the population is known as ___________? test q

Answer 59

Primary Case

Question 60

The sickle-cell trait is one that is more common in some African populations. This trait allows for protection against _____________?

Answer 60

Plasmodium

Question 61

Which answer represents the correct flow of disease transmission to recovery? a.) Transmission -> Susceptible Host -> Infected Host -> Recovery -> Recovered Host b.) Susceptible Host -> Transmission -> Infected Host -> Recovery -> Recovered Host c.) Susceptible Host -> Transmission -> Infected Host -> Recovered Host -> Recovery d.) Infected Host -> Susceptible Host -> Transmission -> Recovery -> Recovered Host

Answer 61

b.) Susceptible Host -> Transmission -> Infected Host -> Recovery -> Recovered Host

Question 62

Typhoid Mary was a carrier of what causative agent, that affected many individuals who ingested the meals she produced? a. Cryptosporidium maryi b. Rickettsia prowazekii c. Rickettsia typhi d. Salmonella typhi

Answer 62

d. Salmonella typhi

Question 63

What act was passed thanks to Alice Hamilton’s work in industrial medicine? a. Occupational Safety and Health Act b. Safe Medical Devices Act of 1990 c. Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 d. Work and Safety Act of 2001 test q

Answer 63

a. Occupational Safety and Health Act

Question 64

_____________, was the scientist that demonstrated the anaphylaxis reaction through animal models. a. Isaac Newton b. Robert Hooke c. Theobolt Smith d. Robert Boyle

Answer 64

c. Theobolt Smith

Question 65

An infected organism in the environment that serves as a source of new infections is known as....

Answer 65

Reservoir

Question 66

A fomite can be ____________ a. A stairwell railing b. An infected person c. A doorknob d. All of the above test q

Answer 66

d. All of the above

Question 67

What is the definition of direct transmission? a. Transmission through object or surface b. Transmission through human-to-human contact c. Transmission through sexual transmission d. Both b & c

Answer 67

d. Both b & c

Question 68

Which of these is a vector? a. A door handle b. Droplets c. A pen d. A tick test q

Answer 68

d. A tick

Question 69

Who is generally considered the pioneer of vaccination? a. Benjamin Jesty b. Edward Jenner c. Chris Wallace d. Anthony Fauci

Answer 69

b. Edward Jenner

Question 70

What are some of the factors that might increase the chance of an animal disease "jumping" to humans? a) Human incursions into rural and forested areas b) Changes in habits such as deforestation c) Close contact between humans and animals d) All of the above test q

Answer 70

d) All of the above

Question 71

Malaria is caused by a parasite in what group? a) Anaplasma b) Mycoplasma c) Apicomplexa d) Bacteria

Answer 71

c) Apicomplexa

Question 72

What are the three components of the disease triangle?

Answer 72

Environment, pathogen, and host

Question 73

What is the definitive host of Toxoplasma?

Answer 73

cats

Question 74

What outbreak likely generated evolutionary selection favoring individuals with a mutated CCR5 Δ32 gene?

Answer 74

Black plague

Question 75

Disease is defined as..... test q

Answer 75

An interruption, cessation, or disorder of body functions, systems or organ

Question 76

Bernardino Ramazzini developed the branch of medicine that pertains to preventing and treating job-related injuries and illnesses. He observed workers and talked to them about their day-to-day activities, which helped him to write his book “Diseases of Workers”. For this reason he is sometimes referred to as the Father of ___________________.

Answer 76

Occupational Medicine

Question 77

Beriberi involves deficiency of what dietary nutrition? test q

Answer 77

B1 vitamin

Question 78

Myxomatosis was introduced to Australia to control invasive European rabbits, which were highly susceptible to the disease. A decade later, scientists observed that.... test q

Answer 78

the virulence of the disease had decreased

Question 79

Which of the following is an articulation of the Hygiene Hypothesis? a. Parasite-free lifestyles lead to autoimmune disorders b. Germs cause disease c. Washing hands between patients leads to decreased incidence of childbed fever d. Poor sanitation leads to rat infestations, which transmit disease test q

Answer 79

a. Parasite-free lifestyles lead to autoimmune disorders

Question 80

Why shouldn’t you run a marathon with your dog? a. They overheat faster than humans b. They enter caloric deficit faster than humans c. Average jogging speed in humans requires a sustained gallop in quadrupeds such as dogs d. Humans tire faster than dogs, so it wouldn’t be fair to the dog test q

Answer 80

c. Average jogging speed in humans requires a sustained gallop in quadrupeds such as dogs

Question 81

What are the 3 types of black plague?

Answer 81

Bubonic, pneumonic, septicemic

Question 82

The ability of a pathogen to cause harm to the host is known as.... test q

Answer 82

Pathogenicity

Question 83

Conceptually, virulence refers to all of the following except: a. Overall harm to host b. Harm upon host entry c. Transmission d. Harm upon transmission

Answer 83

c. Transmission

Question 84

Myxomatosis can infect rabbits through.... test q

Answer 84

bites by blood feeding arthropods such as fleas and ticks

Question 85

Which of the following forms of Malaria most recently “jumped” into humans? a. Plasmodium falciparum b. Plasmodium vivax c. Plasmodium ovale d. Plasmodium fatale

Answer 85

a. Plasmodium falciparum

Question 86

Which of the following diseases is communicable? a. HIV b. Stroke c. Cancer d. Diabetes test q

Answer 86

a. HIV

Question 87

Regarding the SIR Model, an Intrinsic Growth Rate R0 greater than 1 (R0 > 1) indicates....

Answer 87

The infection is spreading

Question 88

Which of the following is an example of a chronic infectious disease that is NOT communicable? a) Toxoplasma b) Staphylococcus c) HIV d) Hepatitis A test q

Answer 88

a) Toxoplasma

Question 89

Which of the following is an example of a Fomite? a) Doorknob b) Clothes c) Phones d) All of the above

Answer 89

d) All of the above

Question 90

The demos part of epidemic refers to.... test q

Answer 90

populations

Question 91

What can make an individual go from susceptibility directly to recovery in the SIR model?

Answer 91

vaccination

Question 92

Which of the following historical figures are incorrectly paired with their achievements? a) Nightingale: Vaccinations b) Snow: Cholera c) Lind: Scurvy d) Koch: Postulates

Answer 92

a) Nightingale: Vaccinations

Question 93

The first disease case brought to the attention of the epidemiologist is known as the....

Answer 93

index case

Question 94

According to studies conducted by Dr Duncan what fruit was found to have small particles of fecal matter?

Answer 94

strawberries

Question 95

Which of the following foods / drinks are most commonly associated with outbreaks of Isospora sp.? a. Undercooked hamburger meat b. Improperly sanitized drinking water c. Cheeses and prepared meats d. Prewashed vegetables such as baby spinach or raspberries test q

Answer 95

d. Prewashed vegetables such as baby spinach or raspberries

Question 96

Plasmodium vivax infects host ______________, while plasmodium falciparum infects host ________________ a. Reticulocytes, erythrocytes b. Leukocytes, monocytes c. Erythrocytes, leukocytes d. Monocytes, reticulocytes

Answer 96

a. Reticulocytes, erythrocytes

Question 97

Subclinical disease stage refers to: a. Point of exposure for susceptible individual b. Serious hospitalized cases c. Beginning of pathological processes and changes within the body d. Onset of symptoms

Answer 97

c. Beginning of pathological processes and changes within the body

Question 98

What is an adaptive value of physical pain? i. Draws attention to harmful stimuli ii. Reduces reinjury iii. Motivates learning to avoid harm a. I only b. I and II only c. I and III only d. I, II, and III

Answer 98

d. I, II, and III

Question 99

Which is not a central theme of Darwinian medicine? a. Evolutionary arms races b. “Symptoms are often adaptations” c. Hygiene hypothesis d. Evolutionary mismatches

Answer 99

c. Hygiene hypothesis

Question 100

Which of the following is a good example of an evolutionary mismatch? a) Our preference for fatty or sweet foods b) Our enjoyment of sex c) Our ability to feel pain when we are injured d) Our instinctive reflex to pull back from painful stimuli such as hot surfaces test q

Answer 100

a) Our preference for fatty or sweet foods