MCQs on parasites, protozoa and helminthic infections - Medical microbiology

                             

                          Multiple Choice Questions on Parasite/ Protozoa

1. Which of the following is an important and common specimen taken for the microscopic detection of malarial parasites in humans?

a) Stool

b) Sputum

c) Blood     

d) Urine

2. Which of the following parasite is transmitted to humans through exposure to cat feces?

a) Trichomonas vaginalis

b) Toxoplasma gondii        

c) Entamoeaba histolytica

d) Plasmodium falciparum

3. Which of the following parasite is a common cause of diarrhea in humans and some animals?

a) Giardia lamblia     

b) Leishmania donovani

c) Toxoplasma gondii

d) Pneumocystis carinii

4. Which of the following protozoan parasite can be spread to humans by the bite of a sandfly?

a) Entamoeba histolytica

b) Plasmodium falciparum

c) Trichomonas vaginalis

d) Leishmania donovani      

5. What are the three main taxonomic groups of helminths that can cause infections in humans?

A) Viruses, bacteria, and fungi

B) Tapeworms, roundworms, and flukes

C) Protozoa, cestodes, and nematodes

D) Arachnids, crustaceans, and annelids

6. Which of the following extracellular parasites can cause sleeping sickness that is prevalent in regions of Africa?

a) Trypanosoma brucei      

b) Treponema pallidum

c) Hookworms

d) Wuchereria bancrofti

7. A 25 year old female living in a rural area of Ghana comes to local healthcare clinic with swollen arms and a right leg, no other specific symptoms were reported. Due to the lack of proper examination and care facility she did not get the right treatment during the initial phase of the infection, she is suspected of lymphatic filariasis which is parasitic infection.

Which of the following parasite transmitted to humans by the bite of mosquitoes causes majority of the lymphadenopathy also known as 'Elephantiasis'?

a) Ringworm

b) Leishmania donovani

c) Wuchereria bancrofti     

d) Taenia solium

8. Which of the following single-cell parasite is one of the major vector-borne blood cell parasite, also a common parasite for human deaths worldwide?

a) Treponema pallidum

b) Plasmodium falciparum     

c) Crypto parasite

d) Entamoeba histolytica

9. Which of the following parasitic disease is one of the major causes of diarrhea outbreaks that occurred in the USA from 2009 to 2017?

a) Filariasis

b) African trypanosomiasis

c) Cryptosporidiosis      

d) Onchocerciasis

10. Sandflies are one of the primary vectors in the mode of transmission of parasitic infection to humans.

Which of the following symptoms is the most common symptom of chronic visceral leishmaniasis transmitted to humans by the bite of sandflies?

a) Black color skin ulcers, swollen spleen, and liver     

b) Red color skin ulcers, swollen face, and lips

c) No skin ulcers, swollen arms, and legs

d) Brown color skin ulcers, swollen spleen, and kidneys

11. All of the following statements regarding Trichomoniasis are true, Except?

a) It is a sexually transmitted disease

b) Found to be more common in women than in men

c) There is no treatment available for trichomoniasis

d) A common protozoal infection in the USA

12. "Chagas" disease mainly prevalent in Latin America is transmitted by 'kissing bugs' vectors, name the causative parasite for this disease?

a) Trypanosoma brucei

b) Toxoplasma gondii

c) Treponema pallidum

d) Trypanosoma cruzi

13. The neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by the parasites are all of the following, Except?

a) Cysticercosis

b) Fascioliasis

c) Onchocerciasis

d) Echinococcosis

e) Rabies

14. Which of the following is the zoonotic tapeworm parasitic disease?

a) Onchocerciasis

b) Echinococcosis

c) Cryptosporidiosis

d) Fascioliasis

15. Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia) by Schistosoma is a parasitic flatworm that is also known as blood fluke that mainly causes intestinal or urogenital infection in humans.

Which of the following species prevalent in Africa and the Middle East is one of the leading cause of  urogenital infection (bladder cancer)?

a)  Schistosoma japonicum 

b) S. haematobium

c) S. mansoni

d) S. intercalatum

  

Answers:

1. c) Blood. Plasmodium species (e.g., P. falciparum, P. vivax) infect erythrocytes (RBCs)—so the parasite is directly present in the blood and rarely found in other specimens.

2. b) Toxoplasma gondii

3. a) Giardia lamblia

4. d) Leishmania donovani

5. b) Tapeworms, roundworms, and flukes 

6. a) Trypanosoma brucei

7. c) Wuchereria bancrofti 

8. b) Plasmodium falciparum  

9. c) Cryptosporidiosis

10. a) Black color skin ulcers, swollen spleen, and liver  

11.c) There is no treatment available for trichomoniasis (Unlike other sexually transmitted diseases, Trichomoniasis can be easily treated if diagnosed during an early stage of infection)

12. d) Trypanosoma cruzi

13. e) Rabies , Rabies is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected dogs.

14. b) Echinococcosis

15. c) S. haematobium, 

Feature	Protozoa	Helminths
Cellular Structure	Unicellular (single-celled) eukaryotes	Multicellular eukaryotic organisms
Visibility	Microscopic; require a microscope to be seen	Macroscopic; often visible to the naked eye in adult stages
Motility	Many are motile using flagella, cilia, or pseudopodia	Generally non-motile; movement is limited and often relies on host movement
Reproduction	Asexual (e.g., binary fission) and some sexual reproduction	Primarily sexual reproduction; some species are hermaphroditic
Life Cycle	Often simple; may involve cyst and trophozoite stages	Complex life cycles with multiple stages: egg, larva, and adult; may involve multiple hosts
Habitat in Host	Can inhabit blood, intestines, or tissues	Primarily reside in the gastrointestinal tract; some species migrate to other tissues or organs
Examples	Plasmodium spp. (malaria), Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica	Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm), Taenia solium (pork tapeworm), Schistosoma spp. (blood flukes)
Transmission	Often through contaminated food or water; some via insect vectors	Typically through ingestion of eggs or larvae in contaminated food, water, or soil; skin penetration
Diseases Caused	Malaria, amoebiasis, giardiasis	Ascariasis, schistosomiasis, tapeworm infections
Treatment	Antiprotozoal medications (e.g., metronidazole, chloroquine)	Anthelmintic drugs (e.g., albendazole, praziquantel)