Mapua Institute of Technology
School of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry,
Biological Engineering & Material Science Engineering
BIO136-2 FUNDAMENTALS OF MICROBIOLOGY and IMMUNOLOGY
Problem Set Topic 2
I. True/False
1. Viruses can confer on their host cells properties that can in turn be inherited.
2. Viruses have both a cellular and an extracellular form.
3. Some viruses possess icosahedral heads and helical tails.
4. DNA polymerases are less precise than RNA polymerases.
5. As a general rule when using molecular chronometers, the degree of similarity between two
organisms indicates the relative evolutionary relatedness.
6. Chemotaxonomic taxonomy includes the analysis of fatty acid profiles of different bacterial
species.
7. As of the present, there is no formal method of nomenclature for viruses.
8. Dengue virus is an example of a disease which is transmitted through a vector.
9. Classical means of classification is based on similarities and differences in genotypic
characteristics.
10. Human Immunodeficiency Virus uses a single-stranded DNA as their genomic material.
II. Multiple Choice
11. Viral replication is
a. independent of the cells chromosomes but dependent on the cell itself.
b. independent of both the cells chromosomes and the cell itself.
c. dependent on the cells chromosomes but independent on the cell itself.
d. dependent on both the cells chromosomes and the cell itself.
12. Viral replication occurs in the
a. intracellular state only.
b. extracellular state only.
c. both the intracellular and extracellular state.
d. either the intracellular and extracellular state, depending on the virus involved.
13. Viral size is generally in the range of
a. micrometers.
c. nanometers.
b. picometers.
d. attometers.
14. Viral membranes are generally _____ with associated virus-specific _____.
a. lipid-bilayers/ phospholipids
c. protein-bilayers/ lipids
b. lipid-bilayers/ proteins
d. glycolipid-bilayers/phospholipids
15. Which statement is true?
a. All viruses contain their own nucleic acid polymerases.
b. Some viruses contain their own nucleic acid polymerases.
c. Viruses do not contain their own nucleic acid polymerases.
d. The specific origins of the nucleic acid polymers used by viruses is still unknown.
16. Reverse transcriptase is a(n)
a. RNA-dependent DNA polymerase.
c. DNA-dependent RNA polymerase.
b. DNA-dependent DNA polymerase.
d. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase
e. .
17. Viruses infecting _____ are typically the easiest to grow in the laboratory.
a. plants
c. fungi
b. animals
d. bacteria
e.
Mapua Institute of Technology
School of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry,
Biological Engineering & Material Science Engineering
18. A virus that kills its host is said to be
a. virulent.
b. lysogenic.
c. temperate.
d. virulent or lysogenic, but not temperate.
19. A viroid
a. is a small, circular, single-stranded RNA molecule.
b. does not include a capsid of any kind.
c. Contains no protein-encoding genes.
d. all of the above.
20. Retroviruses
a. go backward from the norm.
c. may cause cancer.
b. have been implicated in AIDS.
d. all of the above.
21. Host cell death is brought about by the
a. presence of the virion.
c. expression of the virions genome.
b. replication of the virion.
d. all of the above.
22. A prophage replicates
a. along with its host as long as the lytic genes are being expressed.
b. along with its host as long as the lytic genes are not being expressed.
c. independent of its host as long as the lytic genes are being expressed.
d. independent of its host as long as the lytic genes are not being expressed.
23. The earliest stromatolites were probably
a. anoxygenic phototrophs.
c. oxygenic phototrophs.
b. anoxygenic lithotrophs.
d. oxygenic lithotrophs.
24. The earliest polymerization reactions probably took place _____; these reactions were aided
by _____ exposed surfaces.
a. spontaneously/ irregular, aqueous
c. with enzymes/ irregular, aqueous
b. spontaneously/ stable, anhydrous
d. with enzymes/ stable, anhydrous
25. The earliest RNA probably functioned in
a. catalysis.
c. both catalysis and genetic coding.
b. genetic coding.
d. neither catalysis nor genetic coding.
26. Identification of the three lines of descent, Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, has come about
primarily as a result of
a. advanced methods of morphological examination.
b. biochemical assays.
c. analyses of metabolic pathways.
d. nucleic acid sequencing studies.
27. The size of the most useful RNA molecule for eukaryotic evolutionary studies is
a. 5S
b. 16S
c. 18S
d. 23S
28. Conventional taxonomy includes
a. gram reactions.
b. nutritional requirements.
c. biochemical and environmental requirements.
d. all of the above.
29. _____ is the science of classification. This science consists of two major subdisciplines,
_____ and _____.
a. Nomenclature, Taxonomy, Identification
b. Taxonomy, Identification, Nomenclature
c. Taxonomy, Classification, Nomenclature
d. Identification, Nomenclature, Classification
Mapua Institute of Technology
School of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry,
Biological Engineering & Material Science Engineering
30. The continued maintenance of strains of important microorganisms is dependent upon large,
adequately funded culture collection facilities. The repository in the US is the
a. ATCC
c. NTTC
b. NCBI
d. DOST
e.
f. III. Short Answer
31. When a virus genome is introduced into a host cell and reproduces, the process is called
_____.
32. The term phage is generally reserved for the viruses that infect _____.
33. _____ is a compendium of classical and molecular information on all recognized prokaryotic
species.
34. _____ involves the sequential answering of questions which ultimately provides an
identification.
35. The individual protein subunit of the viral capsid is called _____.
36. _____ is a virus which infects bacteria.
37. _____ the type strain reported by the original author.
38. _____ is a collection of different species, each sharing one or more (usually several) major
properties.
39. _____ is a group of cells or descendants derived from a single cell
40. A process by which animals transmit infection to humans is called _____.
g.
h. IV. Essay: Accumulate 30 points from the questions below.
i. 1. Differentiate antigenic drift from antigenic shift in flu viruses. (5 points)
j. 2. Discuss how scientists picture the formation of the first viable cells on early earth. (5
points)
k. 3. What is the RNA World Hypothesis? Why is it thought that RNA might have been the
genetic
material used by the primitive cell? (5 points)
l. 4. Name the basic components of a virion. Specify their functions. (5 points)
m. 5. Discuss the steps in the basic pathway of viral replication. Differentiate lytic from
lysogenic
pathways. (10 points)
n. 6. If you are to name your isolate, what would be your proposal? Discuss how this name
will be formally accepted by microbial taxonomists. (10 points)
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.
u.
v.
w.
x.
y.
z.
aa.
ab.
Mapua Institute of Technology
School of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry,
Biological Engineering & Material Science Engineering
ac.
ad.
ae.
BIO136-2 FUNDAMENTALS OF MICROBIOLOGY and
IMMUNOLOGY
af.
ag.
Problem Set Topic 3
ah. Answer in FULL DETAIL.
What is the purpose of heat fixing the microorganisms into the glass slides?
Why should cultures for Gram staining be at most 24-hour old?
Differentiate simple from differential staining.
Discuss how to test the antimicrobial potential of a synthetic chemical using Kirby-Bauer
disk diffusion assay.
5. What is the mechanism of action of the following antimicrobials?
a. Chloroquine
f. Erythromycin
b. Tetracycline
g. Nystatin
c. Ciprofloxacin
h. Ketoconazole
d. Penicillin
i. Acyclovir
e. Chloramphenicol
j. ozone
1.
2.
3.
4.
6. Compute for the microbial index if the zone of inhibition is 5 cm and the radius of the disc is
8 mm.
7. Disk diffusion assay was performed in the lab to test the antimicrobial potential of two
extracts. The zones of inhibition measured 6.5 cm and 4.8 cm respectively. Compute the
microbial index of extracts A and B if the diameter of the disc is 3 cm.
8. Complete the table below:
9.
10.
Ty
pes of staining
14. Gram
23. Simple stain
27.
11. Stains used
15. 10 stain: _____1_____
16. Mordant: _____2_____
17. Decolorizer:
_____3_____
18. 20 stain: _____4_____
19.
24. _____5_____
12. Color of the cells after
staining
13.
20. Gram positive: _____6_____
21. Gram negative: _____7_____
22.
25. _____8_____
26.
