PARASITOLOGY UPDATED EXAM SCRIPT QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS MARKED A+
✔✔What can cause contamination of a throat swab during collection? - ✔✔Touching
the tongue and inside of the mouth will contaminate the swab with normal flora
✔✔What mistakes can occur in the collection of urine for culture? - ✔✔The patient can
insufficiently cleanse the area around the urethral opening and contaminate the urine
with skin microorganisms, epithelial cells and mucus
✔✔Why stool specimens in an infants disposable diaper may not grow microorganisms
- ✔✔because diapers often contain bacteriostatic chemicals inhibiting microorganisms
from growing
✔✔Why should the patient rinse their mouth with water before collecting sputum
sample? - ✔✔to reduce the number of oral bacteria present that can contaminate the
sputum sample
✔✔why is an aspirate of a wound preferred over a swab? - ✔✔the swab is more prone
to drying and in addition may not pick up sufficient bacteria for culture
✔✔why are both alcohol and iodine used in preparation for a blood culutre - ✔✔if
cleansing is not thorough, skin bacteria or fungi can contaminate the culture and
produce false-positive results
✔✔3 important properties of transport systems for bacteriology specimens - ✔✔A
container capable of providing the correct environment until the bacteria can be
inoculated, the test requisition form and specimen label
✔✔What type of culture performed to determine MRSA - ✔✔nasal swab specimen
✔✔carrier - ✔✔an individual who harbors an organism and is capable of spreading the
organism to others, but has no symptoms or signs of disease
✔✔What are the 3 categories of transmission-based precautions? give an example of a
condition or disease related to each precaution - ✔✔Contact- infections spread primarily
by close or direct contact- MRSA
Droplet- infections easily transmitted through short distances- pertussis
Airborne- infections transmitted by long distances airborne route- varicella
✔✔standard precaution vs transmission based precaution - ✔✔standards are always
used, regardless of diagnosis, treating all blood and bodily fluids as if infectious
transmission based precautions- used in addition to standard, provide additional
protection of transmission based infections
, ✔✔protective isolation - ✔✔isolation category to protect highly susceptible patients from
exposure to infectious agents; reverse isolation
✔✔nonsocomial infection - ✔✔healthcare-associated infection
infection acquired while being treated for another condition in a healthcare setting
✔✔fomite - ✔✔inanimate objects such as bed rails, linens or eating utensils which can
be contaminated with infectious organisms and serve as a means of their transmission
✔✔How are parasitic infections usually diagnosed? - ✔✔Finding and identifying the
parasite either macroscopically or microscopically or by immunological tests. Have to
look in the right place
✔✔The 3 major groups of organisms that contain human parasites? - ✔✔Arthropods-
insects, helminths- worms, and protozoa- single cell
✔✔What body sites can be infected by parasites? - ✔✔External body surfaces, external
body cavities, the intestinal tract, and tissues and organs such as blood, bone marrow,
brain lung or liver.
✔✔Factors that affect the severity of parasitic infections - ✔✔Parasite numbers, size,
location, toxicity, host condition
✔✔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
ANSWERS MARKED A+
✔✔What can cause contamination of a throat swab during collection? - ✔✔Touching
the tongue and inside of the mouth will contaminate the swab with normal flora
✔✔What mistakes can occur in the collection of urine for culture? - ✔✔The patient can
insufficiently cleanse the area around the urethral opening and contaminate the urine
with skin microorganisms, epithelial cells and mucus
✔✔Why stool specimens in an infants disposable diaper may not grow microorganisms
- ✔✔because diapers often contain bacteriostatic chemicals inhibiting microorganisms
from growing
✔✔Why should the patient rinse their mouth with water before collecting sputum
sample? - ✔✔to reduce the number of oral bacteria present that can contaminate the
sputum sample
✔✔why is an aspirate of a wound preferred over a swab? - ✔✔the swab is more prone
to drying and in addition may not pick up sufficient bacteria for culture
✔✔why are both alcohol and iodine used in preparation for a blood culutre - ✔✔if
cleansing is not thorough, skin bacteria or fungi can contaminate the culture and
produce false-positive results
✔✔3 important properties of transport systems for bacteriology specimens - ✔✔A
container capable of providing the correct environment until the bacteria can be
inoculated, the test requisition form and specimen label
✔✔What type of culture performed to determine MRSA - ✔✔nasal swab specimen
✔✔carrier - ✔✔an individual who harbors an organism and is capable of spreading the
organism to others, but has no symptoms or signs of disease
✔✔What are the 3 categories of transmission-based precautions? give an example of a
condition or disease related to each precaution - ✔✔Contact- infections spread primarily
by close or direct contact- MRSA
Droplet- infections easily transmitted through short distances- pertussis
Airborne- infections transmitted by long distances airborne route- varicella
✔✔standard precaution vs transmission based precaution - ✔✔standards are always
used, regardless of diagnosis, treating all blood and bodily fluids as if infectious
transmission based precautions- used in addition to standard, provide additional
protection of transmission based infections
, ✔✔protective isolation - ✔✔isolation category to protect highly susceptible patients from
exposure to infectious agents; reverse isolation
✔✔nonsocomial infection - ✔✔healthcare-associated infection
infection acquired while being treated for another condition in a healthcare setting
✔✔fomite - ✔✔inanimate objects such as bed rails, linens or eating utensils which can
be contaminated with infectious organisms and serve as a means of their transmission
✔✔How are parasitic infections usually diagnosed? - ✔✔Finding and identifying the
parasite either macroscopically or microscopically or by immunological tests. Have to
look in the right place
✔✔The 3 major groups of organisms that contain human parasites? - ✔✔Arthropods-
insects, helminths- worms, and protozoa- single cell
✔✔What body sites can be infected by parasites? - ✔✔External body surfaces, external
body cavities, the intestinal tract, and tissues and organs such as blood, bone marrow,
brain lung or liver.
✔✔Factors that affect the severity of parasitic infections - ✔✔Parasite numbers, size,
location, toxicity, host condition
✔✔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
