Epidemiology Terms
This type of study observes a group of people over time to identify disease patterns.
A) Cross-sectional study
B) Cohort study
C) Case-control study
D) Randomized trial
Answer: B) Cohort study
This pathogen is made of protein and can cause brain diseases such as mad cow disease:
A) Virus
B) Bacteria
C) Prion
D) Protozoa
Answer: C) Prion
The disease caused by Salmonella is classified as:
A) Viral outbreak
B) Bacterial outbreak
C) Fungal outbreak
D) Parasitic outbreak
Answer: B) Bacterial outbreak
This simple lab technique uses a stain to identify bacteria under a microscope:
A) PCR
B) Gram stain
C) ELISA
D) Culture
Answer: B) Gram stain
Diseases spread through droplets from coughing or sneezing are classified as:
A) Airborne transmission
B) Vector-borne transmission
C) Droplet transmission
D) Contact transmission
Answer: C) Droplet transmission
The measure of how many new cases of a disease occur in a specific population over a certain period is called:
A) Prevalence
B) Incidence
C) Mortality rate
D) Attack rate
Answer: B) Incidence
Bacteria that live inside host cells and can only reproduce there are called:
A) Extracellular bacteria
B) Obligate intracellular bacteria
C) Gram-positive bacteria
D) Opportunistic bacteria
Answer: B) Obligate intracellular bacteria
In 1854, John Snow traced this disease outbreak to a contaminated water pump in London:
A) Cholera
B) Smallpox
C) Influenza
D) Typhoid
Answer: A) Cholera
A test that detects antibodies in blood to determine past exposure to a pathogen is called:
A) PCR
B) ELISA
C) Culture
D) Microscopy
Answer: B) ELISA
This level of prevention includes vaccines to stop disease before it occurs:
A) Primary prevention
B) Secondary prevention
C) Tertiary prevention
D) Quaternary prevention
Answer: A) Primary prevention
Term for the spread of a disease across a wide geographic area affecting multiple countries:
A) Epidemic
B) Endemic
C) Pandemic
D) Outbreak
Answer: C) Pandemic
Unlike bacteria, this type of pathogen cannot survive outside a host cell and relies on hijacking cellular machinery:
A) Virus
B) Fungi
C) Helminth
D) Protozoa
Answer: A) Virus
The H1N1 pandemic in 2009 is an example of:
A) Endemic
B) Epidemic
C) Pandemic
D) Sporadic outbreak
Answer: C) Pandemic
PCR is a technique used to amplify and detect this type of molecule from pathogens:
A) Protein
B) RNA/DNA
C) Lipid
D) Carbohydrate
Answer: B) RNA/DNA
Using gloves, masks, and gowns in hospitals is an example of:
A) Herd immunity
B) Isolation
C) Standard precautions
D) Vaccination
Answer: C) Standard precautions
This curve shows the number of cases of a disease over time during an outbreak:
A) Histogram
B) Epidemic curve
C) Pie chart
D) Scatter plot
Answer: B) Epidemic curve
These single-celled microorganisms can be pathogenic and are larger than bacteria:
A) Viruses
B) Protozoa
C) Prions
D) Helminths
Answer: B) Protozoa
A sudden increase in cases of a rare disease in a community is known as:
A) Endemic
B) Outbreak
C) Epidemic
D) Pandemic
Answer: B) Outbreak
A medical imaging tool that can detect lung damage caused by tuberculosis:
A) X-ray
B) MRI
C) CT scan
D) Ultrasound
Answer: A) X-ray
Vector-borne diseases are transmitted by organisms such as this common insect:
A) Mosquito
B) Fly
C) Tick
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
The term for a factor that increases the likelihood of developing a disease is:
A) Pathogen
B) Risk factor
C) Symptom
D) Vector
Answer: B) Risk factor
Name the virus family responsible for Ebola and Marburg diseases:
A) Filoviridae
B) Retroviridae
C) Flaviviridae
D) Coronaviridae
Answer: A) Filoviridae
This viral disease was eradicated globally through vaccination:
A) Measles
B) Smallpox
C) Polio
D) Influenza
Answer: B) Smallpox
This method tracks the source of an outbreak by mapping cases geographically and over time:
A) Cohort analysis
B) Case-control study
C) Epidemiologic mapping
D) Random sampling
Answer: C) Epidemiologic mapping
Quarantine and isolation are used to break this link in the chain of infection:
A) Reservoir
B) Portal of exit
C) Mode of transmission
D) Susceptible host
Answer: C) Mode of transmission