MICR 2101 INTRODUCTORY MICROBIOLOGY REVIEW QUESTIONS

The questions are meant for review purposes only. There is no guarantee that any of these
questions will appear directly on your final exam. Likewise, topics that were discussed in class
but do not appear here are not exempt from your final. This is a study guide only!!

Explain the role that the tobacco mosaic virus played in the identification of viruses.

What were some of the problems encountered when persons started to study viruses?

What are cell lines? Describe some of the basic types of cell lines.

What is a virion? Describe its basic structure.

Distinguish between helical and polyhedral viral capsids.

Describe the stages of viral replication in the following:

a. bacteriophages
b. animal viruses
a. dsRNA
b. positive ssRNA
c. negative ssRNA
d. retroviruses

Why is the influenza virus capable of causing periodic worldwide epidemics called pandemics?

Explain the variation seen within influenza viruses in terms of types and subtypes.

Explain what is meant by the terms antigenic drift and antigenic shift.

Distinguish between viruses, viroids and prions.

Explain the human forms of prion disease. (various forms of CJD)

What are persistent viral infections? Provide an example of a latent viral infection and explain why
a virus might have this type of lifestyle.

What is bacterial recombination? Identify the various mechanisms by which bacterial recombination
may occur. Be able to describe each of these mechanisms.

What factors influence the effectiveness of antimicrobial treatments?

How do different microorganisms vary in terms of their resistance to control mechanisms?

(Ranking system; from prions being most resistant to enveloped viruses being least resistant)

Why is moist heat a more effective form of antimicrobial control than dry heat?

Explain how filtration or radiation may function in antimicrobial control strategies.

What factors should be considered when choosing an appropriate chemical disinfectant?

How may disinfectants be evaluated for their effectiveness?

What are the various classes of chemical agents that are useful in controlling microbial growth? Be
able to provide examples for each class.

How might antibiotics be produced? (natural, synthetic, semi-synthetic)

What methods are available to determine the sensitivity of bacteria to a particular antibiotic?

Discuss the major modes of action that antibiotics use to control bacteria. (5 major modes)

What sorts of mechanisms arise that allow bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics? How do these
specific mechanisms arise?

What role do antibiotics play in the spread of antibiotic resistance?