GTC MICROBIOLOGY FINAL REVIEW
ACTUAL EXAM PAPER 2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED
A+
◍ What is septicemia?.
Answer: a systematic disease caused by presence of pathogenic
microorganisms or toxins in the blood
◍ How does it differ from bacteremia?.
Answer: bacteremia is bacteria in the blood. Septicemia is the presence of
microoganisms in the blood.
◍ Septicemia.
Answer: Microbial infection of the blood
◍ What is the cause of endotoxic shock?.
Answer: the LPS layer of gram negative bacteria contains endotoxins that
are released when large amounts of gram negative bacteria are killed- thus
leading to endotoxic shock.
◍ Toxemia.
Answer: Toxins in the blood (infection can be localized elsewhere)
◍ Symptoms of Septicemia.
Answer: Fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath, confusion,
septic shock (low blood pressure, blood clotting, increased heart rate)
◍ Causes of Septicemia.
Answer: Direct inoculation (medical procedures, IV drug usage) or infection
elsewhere in the body that has spread
,◍ What is the cause of puerperal fever?.
Answer: Strep. pyogenes
◍ Blood Cultures.
Answer: A method to diagnose infections in the blood
◍ Endocarditis.
Answer: Endocardium becomes infected/inflamed, including the valves
◍ Symptoms of Endocarditis.
Answer: Fever, fatigue, breathing difficulty
◍ Cause of Endocarditis.
Answer: Develops from local infection (e.g. infected tooth) that spreads into
the blood
◍ Risk Factors for Endocarditis.
Answer: Increased risk if there is a structural abnormality of the heart valve
◍ Explain how rheumatic fever develops?.
Answer: rheumatic fever is caused by a Strep. pyogenes infection. It's a
sequelae - or aftermath of the disease.
◍ Most Common Pathogen in Endocarditis.
Answer: Streptococcus viridans
◍ Lyme Disease.
Answer: Caused by Borrelia burgdorferi (spirochete)
◍ What type of hypersensitivity is that?.
Answer: type 3- immunocomplex
◍ Name two types of bacteria that cause acute bacterial endocarditis:.
Answer: Staph aureus, Strep pneumonia, viridians streptococcus
◍ What causes cat scratch fever?.
Answer: Bartonella
◍ Name the signs of cat scratch fever:.
Answer: lymph node enlargement in children
,◍ What does it mean that the disease often is "subclinical"?.
Answer: it means that there are no apparent symptoms or signs
◍ Vector for Lyme Disease.
Answer: Ixodes tick
◍ Symptoms of Lyme Disease.
Answer: Bulls eye rash, fatigue, headache, fever, joint pain
◍ Diagnosis of Lyme Disease.
Answer: Blood test for the antibody to Borrelia
◍ Name the causative agent in plague:.
Answer: Yersinia
◍ Treatment for Lyme Disease.
Answer: Doxycycline
◍ What is a buboe?.
Answer: lymph node enlargement
◍ Infectious Mononucleosis.
Answer: Caused by Epstein-Barr virus
◍ What type of plague has the highest mortality?.
Answer: pneumonic- 100% mortality within 3 days
◍ Transmission of Infectious Mononucleosis.
Answer: Transmitted via saliva, infects throat and salivary glands, enters
blood, where it invades B lymphocytes
◍ How does transmission of plague occur?.
Answer: bubonic: through flea bites that were infected by rodents.
pneumonic: through human to human contact
◍ Symptoms of Infectious Mononucleosis.
Answer: Sore throat, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, splenomegaly, fatigue
◍ Diagnosis of Infectious Mononucleosis.
, Answer: Diagnosed by detecting antibodies in the blood or abnormal
lymphocytes
◍ Malaria.
Answer: Caused by Plasmodium species
◍ Can the plague be treated?.
Answer: yes- streptomycin and tetracycline
◍ Transmission of Malaria.
Answer: Transmitted by Anopheles mosquito (vector), parasite invades
RBCs
◍ Symptoms of Malaria.
Answer: Jaundice, recurrent fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea
◍ Toxoplasmosis.
Answer: Caused by Toxoplasma gondii
◍ Transmission of Toxoplasmosis.
Answer: Ingesting undercooked meat, inhalation of soil/cat feces and
transplacental transfer from mother to fetus
◍ Name the bacteria that cause lyme disease:.
Answer: Borrelia
◍ Symptoms of Toxoplasmosis.
Answer: Fever, fatigue, inflammation of lungs, liver and heart (especially in
immunocompromised)
◍ How is it transmitted?.
Answer: tick bites
◍ Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis.
Answer: Diagnosed by biopsy or PCR
◍ Is a bull's eye rash always seen?.
Answer: in 80% of the cases
◍ Babesiosis.
ACTUAL EXAM PAPER 2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED
A+
◍ What is septicemia?.
Answer: a systematic disease caused by presence of pathogenic
microorganisms or toxins in the blood
◍ How does it differ from bacteremia?.
Answer: bacteremia is bacteria in the blood. Septicemia is the presence of
microoganisms in the blood.
◍ Septicemia.
Answer: Microbial infection of the blood
◍ What is the cause of endotoxic shock?.
Answer: the LPS layer of gram negative bacteria contains endotoxins that
are released when large amounts of gram negative bacteria are killed- thus
leading to endotoxic shock.
◍ Toxemia.
Answer: Toxins in the blood (infection can be localized elsewhere)
◍ Symptoms of Septicemia.
Answer: Fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath, confusion,
septic shock (low blood pressure, blood clotting, increased heart rate)
◍ Causes of Septicemia.
Answer: Direct inoculation (medical procedures, IV drug usage) or infection
elsewhere in the body that has spread
,◍ What is the cause of puerperal fever?.
Answer: Strep. pyogenes
◍ Blood Cultures.
Answer: A method to diagnose infections in the blood
◍ Endocarditis.
Answer: Endocardium becomes infected/inflamed, including the valves
◍ Symptoms of Endocarditis.
Answer: Fever, fatigue, breathing difficulty
◍ Cause of Endocarditis.
Answer: Develops from local infection (e.g. infected tooth) that spreads into
the blood
◍ Risk Factors for Endocarditis.
Answer: Increased risk if there is a structural abnormality of the heart valve
◍ Explain how rheumatic fever develops?.
Answer: rheumatic fever is caused by a Strep. pyogenes infection. It's a
sequelae - or aftermath of the disease.
◍ Most Common Pathogen in Endocarditis.
Answer: Streptococcus viridans
◍ Lyme Disease.
Answer: Caused by Borrelia burgdorferi (spirochete)
◍ What type of hypersensitivity is that?.
Answer: type 3- immunocomplex
◍ Name two types of bacteria that cause acute bacterial endocarditis:.
Answer: Staph aureus, Strep pneumonia, viridians streptococcus
◍ What causes cat scratch fever?.
Answer: Bartonella
◍ Name the signs of cat scratch fever:.
Answer: lymph node enlargement in children
,◍ What does it mean that the disease often is "subclinical"?.
Answer: it means that there are no apparent symptoms or signs
◍ Vector for Lyme Disease.
Answer: Ixodes tick
◍ Symptoms of Lyme Disease.
Answer: Bulls eye rash, fatigue, headache, fever, joint pain
◍ Diagnosis of Lyme Disease.
Answer: Blood test for the antibody to Borrelia
◍ Name the causative agent in plague:.
Answer: Yersinia
◍ Treatment for Lyme Disease.
Answer: Doxycycline
◍ What is a buboe?.
Answer: lymph node enlargement
◍ Infectious Mononucleosis.
Answer: Caused by Epstein-Barr virus
◍ What type of plague has the highest mortality?.
Answer: pneumonic- 100% mortality within 3 days
◍ Transmission of Infectious Mononucleosis.
Answer: Transmitted via saliva, infects throat and salivary glands, enters
blood, where it invades B lymphocytes
◍ How does transmission of plague occur?.
Answer: bubonic: through flea bites that were infected by rodents.
pneumonic: through human to human contact
◍ Symptoms of Infectious Mononucleosis.
Answer: Sore throat, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, splenomegaly, fatigue
◍ Diagnosis of Infectious Mononucleosis.
, Answer: Diagnosed by detecting antibodies in the blood or abnormal
lymphocytes
◍ Malaria.
Answer: Caused by Plasmodium species
◍ Can the plague be treated?.
Answer: yes- streptomycin and tetracycline
◍ Transmission of Malaria.
Answer: Transmitted by Anopheles mosquito (vector), parasite invades
RBCs
◍ Symptoms of Malaria.
Answer: Jaundice, recurrent fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea
◍ Toxoplasmosis.
Answer: Caused by Toxoplasma gondii
◍ Transmission of Toxoplasmosis.
Answer: Ingesting undercooked meat, inhalation of soil/cat feces and
transplacental transfer from mother to fetus
◍ Name the bacteria that cause lyme disease:.
Answer: Borrelia
◍ Symptoms of Toxoplasmosis.
Answer: Fever, fatigue, inflammation of lungs, liver and heart (especially in
immunocompromised)
◍ How is it transmitted?.
Answer: tick bites
◍ Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis.
Answer: Diagnosed by biopsy or PCR
◍ Is a bull's eye rash always seen?.
Answer: in 80% of the cases
◍ Babesiosis.
