A-IPC (2026) Exam Study Complete
Questions with Guaranteed Correct
Answers | Verified | 100% Accurate
• The bacterium most likely to be transmitted from mother to infant during labor
and cause neonatal sepsis is:
a. Escherichia coli
b. Staphylococcus aureus
c. Group B Streptococcus
d. Group A Streptococcus -✓✓c. Group B Streptococcus
• Which of the following is an example of the criterion of "Strength of the
Association" from Hill's criteria for causation?
a. In a study of the association between antibiotic exposure and development of C.
difficile infection, the odds ratio was 2:3
b. In a study of the association between antibiotic exposure and development of C.
difficile infection, the authors' conclusions are consistent with those of three other
studies
c. In a study of the association between antibiotic exposure and development of C.
difficile infection, antibiotic therapy began an average of 3 weeks before C.
difficile infection developed
d. In a study of the association between antibiotic exposure and development of C.
difficile infection, prolonged antibiotic therapy was a greater risk factor for C.
difficile infection than short-term antibiotic therapy -✓✓a. In a study of the
association between antibiotic exposure and development of C. difficile infection,
the odds ratio was 2:3
• Which of the following rules should be followed when collecting a stool sample
for C. difficile testing?
1) Stool sample should be freshly passed within 1-2 hours
2) 10-20mL. of formed stool should be collected
3) Stool should be passed into a clean, dry container
4) Specimens should be obtained before antimicrobial agents have been
administered
a. 1, 2
b. 2, 3
c. 1, 3
,d. 1, 4 -✓✓c. 1, 3
• What type of meningitis would be most consistent with the following
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) report result:
Glucose= Decreased; Protein= Elevated; WBC counts= 1,000/mm3
a. Bacterial
b. Viral
c. Fungal
d. Tuberculosis -✓✓a. Bacterial
• The following blood culture result should be considered a potential contaminant:
a. A positive result of coagulase-negative staphylococci from two sets, 2 days
apart, without symptoms
b. A positive result of S. aureus from one bottle in a patient with a temperature of
38.6°C
c. A positive result of E. coli from one bottle in an afebrile patient with diarrhea
d. A positive result of Candida albicans in a fungal blood culture in a patient with a
urinary tract infection -✓✓a. A positive result of coagulase-negative staphylococci
from two sets, 2 days apart, without symptoms
• Which of the following organisms have been associated with the transmission of
infections after body piercing?
1) Atypical Mycobacterium species
2) Staphylococcus species
3) Pseudomonas species
4) Haemophilus species
a. 1, 2, 3
b. 2, 3, 4
c. 1, 3, 4
d. 1, 2, 4 -✓✓a. 1, 2, 3
• The Director of the Operating Room (OR) requests that the OR surfaces be
routinely environmentally cultured. The IP's best response should be:
a. A schedule for routine culturing of the OR should be arranged so that each room
is cultured at a set interval
b. Routine culturing of the OR should be done in the absence of any epidemiologic
investigations in that area
c. Routine culturing should not be done because it is too expensive
,d. Routine environmental culturing should not be considered unless an
epidemiologic investigation is being conducted -✓✓d. Routine environmental
culturing should not be considered unless an epidemiologic investigation is being
conducted
• All of the following may be indications of a heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) malfunction except:
a. An increase in the postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) rates
b. A single case of aspergillosis in a severely immunosuppressed patient
c. Healthcare-associated varicella infections
d. An outbreak of ventilator-associated Acinetobacter infections in the Intensive
Care Unit (ICU) -✓✓d. An outbreak of ventilator-associated Acinetobacter
infections in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
• A patient who underwent intraocular surgery was diagnosed with a noninfectious
endopthalmitis after the procedure. The IP initiates an investigation to identify the
possible cause. Which of the following factors should be considered?
1) Improper handling, cleaning, and rinsing of the instruments
2) Improper labeling of the solutions
3) Gloves and powder
4) Prophylactic antibiotics administered 2 hours before the procedure
a. 1, 3
b. 1, 2
c. 3, 4
d. 2, 4 -✓✓a. 1, 3
• Sensitivity may be defined as:
a. The ability of a test to detect true positives (persons with the disease) when
applied to a population with the disease
b. The ability of a test to detect the true negatives (persons without the disease)
when applied to a population without the disease
c. The ability of a test to detect true positives (persons with disease) when applied
to a population without the disease
d. The percentage of persons with true positive results when the test is applied to
persons without the disease -✓✓a. The ability of a test to detect true positives
(persons with the disease) when applied to a population with the disease
• The IP is monitoring blood work in order to differentiate between bacterial or
viral infection in a newly admitted ICU patient. Which of the following
, components of a complete blood count (CBC) should the IP examine in order to
determine this information?
a. Hematocrit
b. White blood cell count
c. Platelet (thrombocyte count)
d. Red blood cell indices -✓✓b. White blood cell count
• A nurse manager from a Rehabilitation Unit is requesting that aerators be
installed on the sinks in the patient rooms on her unit. The IP should explain that:
a. Aerators should be placed on all sinks in the ICU only
b. Aerators are more effective when combined with an ultraviolet water
disinfection method
c. Aerators increase the risk of HAIs
d. Low-flow aerators are suitable for use with this population -✓✓c. Aerators
increase the risk of HAIs
• Herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis is suspected in an oncology patient. Aerobic
eye cultures are negative to date. A single serum sample is sent for enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antibody testing. The following titers are reported:
HSV titer 1:128, cytomegalovirus (CMV) titer <1:8, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) titer
<1:8. These results indicate:
a. Immunity to HSV
b. Confirmation of acute HSV infection
c. Presumptive identification of HSV infection
d. Immunity to CMV and EBV -✓✓c. Presumptive identification of HSV infection
• A patient is suspected of having Pertussis. A nasopharyngeal aspirate is collected
for direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) testing and for culture eight hours after
antimicrobial therapy is started. The DFA test is negative but the culture test is
positive. Does this patient have Pertussis?
a. No, because the DFA test is highly specific and it was negative
b. No, because culture of Bordatella pertussis has very low sensitivity
c. No, because all testing is unreliable if antimicrobial therapy has been initiated
prior to specimen collection
d. Yes, because the culture test is 100 percent specific for identification of
Bordatella pertussis -✓✓d. Yes, because the culture test is 100 percent specific for
identification of Bordatella pertussis
Questions with Guaranteed Correct
Answers | Verified | 100% Accurate
• The bacterium most likely to be transmitted from mother to infant during labor
and cause neonatal sepsis is:
a. Escherichia coli
b. Staphylococcus aureus
c. Group B Streptococcus
d. Group A Streptococcus -✓✓c. Group B Streptococcus
• Which of the following is an example of the criterion of "Strength of the
Association" from Hill's criteria for causation?
a. In a study of the association between antibiotic exposure and development of C.
difficile infection, the odds ratio was 2:3
b. In a study of the association between antibiotic exposure and development of C.
difficile infection, the authors' conclusions are consistent with those of three other
studies
c. In a study of the association between antibiotic exposure and development of C.
difficile infection, antibiotic therapy began an average of 3 weeks before C.
difficile infection developed
d. In a study of the association between antibiotic exposure and development of C.
difficile infection, prolonged antibiotic therapy was a greater risk factor for C.
difficile infection than short-term antibiotic therapy -✓✓a. In a study of the
association between antibiotic exposure and development of C. difficile infection,
the odds ratio was 2:3
• Which of the following rules should be followed when collecting a stool sample
for C. difficile testing?
1) Stool sample should be freshly passed within 1-2 hours
2) 10-20mL. of formed stool should be collected
3) Stool should be passed into a clean, dry container
4) Specimens should be obtained before antimicrobial agents have been
administered
a. 1, 2
b. 2, 3
c. 1, 3
,d. 1, 4 -✓✓c. 1, 3
• What type of meningitis would be most consistent with the following
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) report result:
Glucose= Decreased; Protein= Elevated; WBC counts= 1,000/mm3
a. Bacterial
b. Viral
c. Fungal
d. Tuberculosis -✓✓a. Bacterial
• The following blood culture result should be considered a potential contaminant:
a. A positive result of coagulase-negative staphylococci from two sets, 2 days
apart, without symptoms
b. A positive result of S. aureus from one bottle in a patient with a temperature of
38.6°C
c. A positive result of E. coli from one bottle in an afebrile patient with diarrhea
d. A positive result of Candida albicans in a fungal blood culture in a patient with a
urinary tract infection -✓✓a. A positive result of coagulase-negative staphylococci
from two sets, 2 days apart, without symptoms
• Which of the following organisms have been associated with the transmission of
infections after body piercing?
1) Atypical Mycobacterium species
2) Staphylococcus species
3) Pseudomonas species
4) Haemophilus species
a. 1, 2, 3
b. 2, 3, 4
c. 1, 3, 4
d. 1, 2, 4 -✓✓a. 1, 2, 3
• The Director of the Operating Room (OR) requests that the OR surfaces be
routinely environmentally cultured. The IP's best response should be:
a. A schedule for routine culturing of the OR should be arranged so that each room
is cultured at a set interval
b. Routine culturing of the OR should be done in the absence of any epidemiologic
investigations in that area
c. Routine culturing should not be done because it is too expensive
,d. Routine environmental culturing should not be considered unless an
epidemiologic investigation is being conducted -✓✓d. Routine environmental
culturing should not be considered unless an epidemiologic investigation is being
conducted
• All of the following may be indications of a heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) malfunction except:
a. An increase in the postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) rates
b. A single case of aspergillosis in a severely immunosuppressed patient
c. Healthcare-associated varicella infections
d. An outbreak of ventilator-associated Acinetobacter infections in the Intensive
Care Unit (ICU) -✓✓d. An outbreak of ventilator-associated Acinetobacter
infections in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
• A patient who underwent intraocular surgery was diagnosed with a noninfectious
endopthalmitis after the procedure. The IP initiates an investigation to identify the
possible cause. Which of the following factors should be considered?
1) Improper handling, cleaning, and rinsing of the instruments
2) Improper labeling of the solutions
3) Gloves and powder
4) Prophylactic antibiotics administered 2 hours before the procedure
a. 1, 3
b. 1, 2
c. 3, 4
d. 2, 4 -✓✓a. 1, 3
• Sensitivity may be defined as:
a. The ability of a test to detect true positives (persons with the disease) when
applied to a population with the disease
b. The ability of a test to detect the true negatives (persons without the disease)
when applied to a population without the disease
c. The ability of a test to detect true positives (persons with disease) when applied
to a population without the disease
d. The percentage of persons with true positive results when the test is applied to
persons without the disease -✓✓a. The ability of a test to detect true positives
(persons with the disease) when applied to a population with the disease
• The IP is monitoring blood work in order to differentiate between bacterial or
viral infection in a newly admitted ICU patient. Which of the following
, components of a complete blood count (CBC) should the IP examine in order to
determine this information?
a. Hematocrit
b. White blood cell count
c. Platelet (thrombocyte count)
d. Red blood cell indices -✓✓b. White blood cell count
• A nurse manager from a Rehabilitation Unit is requesting that aerators be
installed on the sinks in the patient rooms on her unit. The IP should explain that:
a. Aerators should be placed on all sinks in the ICU only
b. Aerators are more effective when combined with an ultraviolet water
disinfection method
c. Aerators increase the risk of HAIs
d. Low-flow aerators are suitable for use with this population -✓✓c. Aerators
increase the risk of HAIs
• Herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis is suspected in an oncology patient. Aerobic
eye cultures are negative to date. A single serum sample is sent for enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antibody testing. The following titers are reported:
HSV titer 1:128, cytomegalovirus (CMV) titer <1:8, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) titer
<1:8. These results indicate:
a. Immunity to HSV
b. Confirmation of acute HSV infection
c. Presumptive identification of HSV infection
d. Immunity to CMV and EBV -✓✓c. Presumptive identification of HSV infection
• A patient is suspected of having Pertussis. A nasopharyngeal aspirate is collected
for direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) testing and for culture eight hours after
antimicrobial therapy is started. The DFA test is negative but the culture test is
positive. Does this patient have Pertussis?
a. No, because the DFA test is highly specific and it was negative
b. No, because culture of Bordatella pertussis has very low sensitivity
c. No, because all testing is unreliable if antimicrobial therapy has been initiated
prior to specimen collection
d. Yes, because the culture test is 100 percent specific for identification of
Bordatella pertussis -✓✓d. Yes, because the culture test is 100 percent specific for
identification of Bordatella pertussis
