Diseases, Germs and Vaccines Quiz: Clerkship GS Practice
A little practice. A step forward.
10 questions on diseases, germs, carriers and vaccines for the General Studies paper of WBPSC Clerkship 2024 Part-I. 30 seconds a question. 📖 Read the detailed topic
What kind of germ causes malaria?
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium, a single-celled animal or protozoan. Because it brings fever many think it is viral, but that is wrong. Kala-azar and amoebic dysentery are also caused by protozoa.
- Germ: Plasmodium
- Carrier: the female Anopheles mosquito
- The old remedy quinine comes from cinchona bark
- Malaria and kala-azar are protozoan, dengue is viral: all three bring fever, the germs differ
| Germ | Diseases |
|---|---|
| Bacteria | TB, typhoid, cholera, diphtheria, tetanus, leprosy |
| Virus | Polio, measles, chickenpox, dengue, rabies, AIDS |
| Protozoa | Malaria, kala-azar, amoebic dysentery |
| Fungi | Ringworm, athlete's foot |
Which mosquito spreads dengue?
The dengue virus is spread by the bite of the Aedes mosquito, which bites by day and lays its eggs in still clean water. Anopheles spreads malaria and Culex spreads filariasis.
- Aedes: dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever
- Dengue is a viral disease
- Anopheles → malaria, Aedes → dengue, Culex → filariasis
| Carrier | Disease |
|---|---|
| Female Anopheles mosquito | Malaria |
| Aedes mosquito | Dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever |
| Culex mosquito | Filariasis, Japanese encephalitis |
| Sandfly | Kala-azar |
| Rat flea | Plague |
Which disease does the BCG vaccine prevent?
The BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine is given against tuberculosis. Polio is prevented by OPV and IPV, measles by MMR, and tetanus by TT or DPT.
- The TB germ is Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- TB mainly affects the lungs and spreads through the air
- World TB Day is 24 March
- The B in BCG is bacillus: the TB germ is a bacillus
| Vaccine | Disease |
|---|---|
| BCG | Tuberculosis |
| OPV, IPV | Polio |
| DPT | Diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus |
| MMR | Measles, mumps, rubella |
| TT | Tetanus |
Which of these is a viral disease?
Rabies is caused by the rabies virus, spread mainly by dog bites, and attacks the nervous system. Typhoid, cholera and tuberculosis are all bacterial.
- Rabies is also called hydrophobia
- Louis Pasteur made the rabies vaccine (1885)
| Germ | Diseases |
|---|---|
| Bacteria | TB, typhoid, cholera, diphtheria, tetanus, leprosy |
| Virus | Polio, measles, chickenpox, dengue, rabies, AIDS |
| Protozoa | Malaria, kala-azar, amoebic dysentery |
| Fungi | Ringworm, athlete's foot |
Who made the first smallpox vaccine?
Edward Jenner used cowpox to vaccinate against smallpox in 1796 and is called the father of immunology. Pasteur is known for the rabies vaccine, Koch for the TB germ and Fleming for penicillin.
- WHO declared the world free of smallpox in 1980
- Smallpox is a viral disease
- Vaccine comes from Latin vacca (cow): Jenner's cowpox
Which mosquito spreads filariasis (elephantiasis)?
Filariasis is caused by a worm, Wuchereria bancrofti, carried by the Culex mosquito. The limbs swell, hence the name elephantiasis. The sandfly is not a mosquito; it spreads kala-azar.
- Filariasis is caused by a worm
- Culex also spreads Japanese encephalitis
- Anopheles → malaria, Aedes → dengue, Culex → filariasis
| Carrier | Disease |
|---|---|
| Female Anopheles mosquito | Malaria |
| Aedes mosquito | Dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever |
| Culex mosquito | Filariasis, Japanese encephalitis |
| Sandfly | Kala-azar |
| Rat flea | Plague |
Which three diseases does the DPT vaccine prevent?
In DPT, D is diphtheria, P is pertussis (whooping cough) and T is tetanus. All three are bacterial. The other options are traps built on the same initials.
- Diphtheria affects the throat
- Tetanus is also called lockjaw
- MMR: measles, mumps, rubella
- P is not polio or plague, it is pertussis (whooping cough)
- D-P-T = diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus
In which district was India's last polio case (2011) found?
India's last polio case was found in Howrah district of West Bengal on 13.01.2011. With no case in the three years after, WHO certified India polio-free on 27.03.2014.
- Polio is a viral disease of the nervous system
- Jonas Salk made the injected vaccine, Albert Sabin the oral one
Antibiotics usually do not work against which of these?
Antibiotics kill bacteria and do not act on viruses. The common cold is viral, so antibiotics do not cure it. Typhoid, tuberculosis and cholera are bacterial and are treated with antibiotics.
- The first antibiotic was penicillin, Fleming 1928
- Penicillin comes from the Penicillium fungus
| Germ | Diseases |
|---|---|
| Bacteria | TB, typhoid, cholera, diphtheria, tetanus, leprosy |
| Virus | Polio, measles, chickenpox, dengue, rabies, AIDS |
| Protozoa | Malaria, kala-azar, amoebic dysentery |
| Fungi | Ringworm, athlete's foot |
Urea stibamine, discovered by Upendranath Brahmachari, is a medicine for which disease?
The Bengali scientist Upendranath Brahmachari discovered urea stibamine, a medicine for kala-azar. Kala-azar is caused by the protozoan Leishmania donovani and spread by the sandfly. The old medicine for malaria is quinine.
- Kala-azar enlarges the spleen and liver
- Carrier: the sandfly
- Quinine is for malaria, urea stibamine for kala-azar
📊 Topic Analysis
10 questions on diseases, germs, carriers and vaccines for the General Studies paper of WBPSC Clerkship 2024 Part-I. 30 seconds a question.
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