PARASITOLOGY UPDATED FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS MARKED A+
✔✔What are ways parasitic diseases can be transmitted? - ✔✔Through contact with an
infected person, ingestion of an infective form, or through insect bites
✔✔Methods used to prevent or control parasite infections - ✔✔Blocking transmission of
the infective form, providing health education, improving sanitation, identifying and
treating infected individuals, and developing vaccines
✔✔Four groups of protozoan parasites - ✔✔Amebae, flagellates, ciliates, and
sporozoan
✔✔Three groups of parasitic helminths - ✔✔trematodes (flukes), cestodes (tapeworms),
and nematodes (roundworms)
✔✔How are intestinal parasitic infections usually diagnosed - ✔✔morphology by either
cysts, trophozoites or oocyts in fecal specimens. Immunological test assays that have
high sensitivity and detect low levels of antigen, levels that might require microscopic
and macroscopic assay.
✔✔Free living ameba - ✔✔lives in nature without a host, becomes toxic when invaded
✔✔Four parasites that cause food borne or waterborne infections - ✔✔Giardia,
enterobasis, trichinosis, cyclosporiasis, cryptosporidosis
✔✔How are infections with blood or other tissue parasites usually diagnosed? -
✔✔Determined by the location of the infection
Blood parasites are identified by microscopic examination on stained blood smears
tissue parasites are identified by microscopic examinations of stained biopsy material
✔✔Guinea worm disease? - ✔✔A parasitic worm that causes painful crippling.
Expected to be the first eradicated without a vaccine due to education and preventative
measures- contaminating drinking water, and finding clean filtered water
✔✔Correct fecal collection method - ✔✔Samples should be collected in a clean, dry,
wide-mouth, leakproof container. Sample must not be contaminated with urine, water,
soap, or disinfectant
Specimen container must be labeled correctly
✔✔Which type of fecal specimen must be processed quickly - ✔✔watery or liquid
specimens within 30 minutes because forms such as protozoan trophozoites deteriorate
rapidly
, ✔✔Terms used to describe the consistency of fecal specimens - ✔✔watery, loose, soft
or formed
✔✔Fecal specimen preservative requirements - ✔✔Must be formalin- and mercury free
environmentally safe zinc and copper based PVA preservatives
✔✔What parasite is best detected from a perianal swab - ✔✔Pinworm- the eggs
✔✔How are commercially available sticky paddles used to collect perianal specimens -
✔✔The paddle device is used by gently spreading the buttocks apart and pressing the
paddle swab several times around the anal opening between 9pm and midnight
✔✔What specimens other than fecal specimens are examined for parasites? -
✔✔Sputum, vaginal secretions, tissue or biopsy, CSF or urine
✔✔Why is timing of specimen collection and rapid processing of parasitic specimen
important - ✔✔To ensure that the parasite morphology is maintained and increase the
chances of finding motile forms
✔✔What free-living amebae can cause disease in humans? How do humans become
infected? - ✔✔Naegleria- found in still standing water, goes to your brain
Acanthamoeba- big in contacts, eats your eyes
Balamuthis mandrillaris
most frequently found in soil, fresh water lakes and ponds, tap water or standing water
✔✔How are pinworm infections transmitted? How are they diagnosed? - ✔✔Pinworms
are transmitted by ingesting the ova, and are diagnosed using the perianal swab
✔✔The scientific name of the pin worm and what parasite category does it belong to -
✔✔Enterobius vermicularis
belongs to the helminths category- ring worm- nematode
✔✔How is toxoplasmosis transmitted to humans? - ✔✔Commonly transmitted by
ingesting viable oocytes or tissue cysts
✔✔ When was the term microbiology first used - ✔✔1860s
✔✔What four areas of study are encompassed by clinical microbiology - ✔✔Viruses,
fungi, bacteria, and parasites
✔✔What is the difference between a pathogen and an opportunistic pathogen -
✔✔Pathogen: a bacteria capable of causing a disease
ANSWERS MARKED A+
✔✔What are ways parasitic diseases can be transmitted? - ✔✔Through contact with an
infected person, ingestion of an infective form, or through insect bites
✔✔Methods used to prevent or control parasite infections - ✔✔Blocking transmission of
the infective form, providing health education, improving sanitation, identifying and
treating infected individuals, and developing vaccines
✔✔Four groups of protozoan parasites - ✔✔Amebae, flagellates, ciliates, and
sporozoan
✔✔Three groups of parasitic helminths - ✔✔trematodes (flukes), cestodes (tapeworms),
and nematodes (roundworms)
✔✔How are intestinal parasitic infections usually diagnosed - ✔✔morphology by either
cysts, trophozoites or oocyts in fecal specimens. Immunological test assays that have
high sensitivity and detect low levels of antigen, levels that might require microscopic
and macroscopic assay.
✔✔Free living ameba - ✔✔lives in nature without a host, becomes toxic when invaded
✔✔Four parasites that cause food borne or waterborne infections - ✔✔Giardia,
enterobasis, trichinosis, cyclosporiasis, cryptosporidosis
✔✔How are infections with blood or other tissue parasites usually diagnosed? -
✔✔Determined by the location of the infection
Blood parasites are identified by microscopic examination on stained blood smears
tissue parasites are identified by microscopic examinations of stained biopsy material
✔✔Guinea worm disease? - ✔✔A parasitic worm that causes painful crippling.
Expected to be the first eradicated without a vaccine due to education and preventative
measures- contaminating drinking water, and finding clean filtered water
✔✔Correct fecal collection method - ✔✔Samples should be collected in a clean, dry,
wide-mouth, leakproof container. Sample must not be contaminated with urine, water,
soap, or disinfectant
Specimen container must be labeled correctly
✔✔Which type of fecal specimen must be processed quickly - ✔✔watery or liquid
specimens within 30 minutes because forms such as protozoan trophozoites deteriorate
rapidly
, ✔✔Terms used to describe the consistency of fecal specimens - ✔✔watery, loose, soft
or formed
✔✔Fecal specimen preservative requirements - ✔✔Must be formalin- and mercury free
environmentally safe zinc and copper based PVA preservatives
✔✔What parasite is best detected from a perianal swab - ✔✔Pinworm- the eggs
✔✔How are commercially available sticky paddles used to collect perianal specimens -
✔✔The paddle device is used by gently spreading the buttocks apart and pressing the
paddle swab several times around the anal opening between 9pm and midnight
✔✔What specimens other than fecal specimens are examined for parasites? -
✔✔Sputum, vaginal secretions, tissue or biopsy, CSF or urine
✔✔Why is timing of specimen collection and rapid processing of parasitic specimen
important - ✔✔To ensure that the parasite morphology is maintained and increase the
chances of finding motile forms
✔✔What free-living amebae can cause disease in humans? How do humans become
infected? - ✔✔Naegleria- found in still standing water, goes to your brain
Acanthamoeba- big in contacts, eats your eyes
Balamuthis mandrillaris
most frequently found in soil, fresh water lakes and ponds, tap water or standing water
✔✔How are pinworm infections transmitted? How are they diagnosed? - ✔✔Pinworms
are transmitted by ingesting the ova, and are diagnosed using the perianal swab
✔✔The scientific name of the pin worm and what parasite category does it belong to -
✔✔Enterobius vermicularis
belongs to the helminths category- ring worm- nematode
✔✔How is toxoplasmosis transmitted to humans? - ✔✔Commonly transmitted by
ingesting viable oocytes or tissue cysts
✔✔ When was the term microbiology first used - ✔✔1860s
✔✔What four areas of study are encompassed by clinical microbiology - ✔✔Viruses,
fungi, bacteria, and parasites
✔✔What is the difference between a pathogen and an opportunistic pathogen -
✔✔Pathogen: a bacteria capable of causing a disease
