Brookside School for Science
Fall Semester 2025
Ali Hza
Email: ranaalirana331@[Link]
MLT
Microbiology
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Notes
● Introduction to Clinical Microbiology**
1. What is clinical microbiology?
- The branch of medical science focused on diagnosing, treating, and preventing infectious
diseases.
2. Name two roles of clinical microbiologists.
- Diagnosing infections, antimicrobial stewardship, infection control.
3. What is the relationship between clinical microbiology and infectious disease physicians?
- They collaborate on diagnosis, treatment, and patient management.
4. What is the purpose of laboratory techniques in microbiology?
- To identify microorganisms and diagnose infections.
#### **2. Microscope**
5. Who invented the microscope?
- Antony Van Leeuwenhoek.
6. What are the three main components of a compound microscope?
- Foot piece, body, and eyepiece.
7. What is the function of the objective lens?
- Produces a magnified image of the specimen.
8. What is numerical aperture (NA)?
- A measure of the resolving power of an objective lens.
9. What is the total magnification if the objective is 40x and the eyepiece is 10x?
- 400x.
10. What is the resolving power of a microscope?
- The ability to distinguish two closely spaced objects.
#### **3. Sterilization and Disinfection**
11. Define sterilization.
- The killing or removal of all microorganisms, including spores.
12. What is the difference between sterilization and disinfection?
- Sterilization kills all microbes; disinfection eliminates pathogens but not spores.
13. Name two physical methods of sterilization.
- Autoclaving, hot air oven.
14. What temperature and pressure are used in autoclaving?
- 121°C at 15 psi for 15-20 minutes.
15. What is the principle of hot air oven sterilization?
- Uses dry heat (160-180°C) for 2 hours.
16. Name a chemical method of sterilization.
- Ethylene oxide gas.
17. What is the purpose of Bowie Dick tape?
- Indicates proper steam penetration in autoclaving.
18. What is antisepsis?
- Use of chemicals to kill microbes on living tissues.
19. Name two antiseptics.
- 70% alcohol, iodine tincture.
20. What is the use of Seitz filters?
- To filter bacteria and viruses from fluids.
#### **4. Stains**
21. What is Gram staining used for?
- Differentiating bacteria into Gram-positive and Gram-negative.
22. Name the four steps of Gram staining.
- Crystal violet, iodine, decolorization (acetone), counterstain (carbol fuchsin).
23. What color do Gram-positive bacteria appear?
- Purple.
24. What color do Gram-negative bacteria appear?
- Pink/red.
25. What is the purpose of Ziehl-Neelsen staining?
- To detect acid-fast bacteria like Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
26. What is the primary stain in ZN staining?
- Carbol fuchsin.
27. What is the decolorizer in ZN staining?
- Acid-alcohol.
28. What is a simple stain?
- Uses a single dye (e.g., methylene blue).
29. What is negative staining?
- Stains the background, leaving microbes clear.
30. What is the purpose of fixing a smear?
- To preserve microbes and prevent washing off during staining.
#### **5. Culture Media**
31. What is a culture medium?
- A nutrient-rich substance used to grow microorganisms.
32. Name three types of culture media based on consistency.
- Solid, semi-solid, liquid.
33. What is the purpose of solid media?
- To isolate colonies for pure culture.
34. Give an example of solid media.
- Nutrient agar.
35. What is enriched media?
- Contains additional nutrients (e.g., blood agar).
36. What is selective media?
- Inhibits some bacteria while allowing others to grow (e.g., MacConkey agar).
37. What is differential media?
- Distinguishes bacteria based on biochemical reactions (e.g., CLED agar).
38. What is transport media?
- Preserves specimens during transport (e.g., Cary-Blair medium).
39. What is the pH range for most culture media?
- Near neutral (pH 7.0-7.4).
40. What is the incubation temperature for most bacteria?
- 35-37°C.
#### **6. Identification of Bacteria**
41. How are bacteria classified based on shape?
- Cocci, bacilli, vibrios, spirilla, spirochetes.
42. What are Gram-positive cocci?
- Staphylococci, streptococci.
43. What are Gram-negative cocci?
- Neisseria.
44. What are lactose fermenters?
- E. coli, Klebsiella.
45. What are non-lactose fermenters?
- Salmonella, Shigella.
46. What is the oxidase test used for?
- Identifying Pseudomonas and Neisseria.
47. What is the catalase test used for?
- Differentiating staphylococci (positive) from streptococci (negative).
48. What is the coagulase test used for?
- Identifying Staphylococcus aureus.
49. What is the indole test?
- Detects tryptophanase enzyme (e.g., E. coli).
50. What is motility test medium?
- Semi-solid agar to detect bacterial movement.
#### **7. Study of Common Pathogens**
51. Name two Gram-positive bacteria in blood cultures.
- Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae.
52. Name two Gram-negative bacteria in urine cultures.
- E. coli, Proteus.
53. What bacteria cause typhoid fever?
- Salmonella typhi.
54. What bacteria cause tuberculosis?
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
55. What bacteria cause cholera?
- Vibrio cholerae.
56. What bacteria cause pneumonia?
- Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella.
57. What bacteria cause meningitis?
- Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae.
58. What bacteria cause urinary tract infections?
- E. coli, Proteus, Klebsiella.
59. What bacteria cause food poisoning?
- Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus.
60. What bacteria cause gas gangrene?
- Clostridium perfringens.
#### **8. Antibiotics and Sensitivity Testing**
61. What is the mechanism of penicillin?
- Inhibits cell wall synthesis.
62. What is the mechanism of tetracycline?
- Inhibits protein synthesis at 30S ribosome.
63. What is the mechanism of fluoroquinolones?
- Inhibits DNA gyrase.
64. What is the Kirby-Bauer method?
- Disc diffusion test for antibiotic sensitivity.
65. What is the zone of inhibition?
- Clear area around an antibiotic disc where bacteria do not grow.
66. What is antibiotic resistance?
- Bacteria develop mechanisms to evade antibiotics.
67. Name two mechanisms of antibiotic resistance.
- Enzyme inactivation, target modification.
68. What is MRSA?
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
69. What is ESBL?
- Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing bacteria.
70. What is the purpose of MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration)?
- Determines the lowest antibiotic concentration that inhibits bacterial growth.
#### **9. Virology**
71. What are DNA viruses?
- Herpesvirus, adenovirus.
72. What are RNA viruses?
- Influenza, HIV, hepatitis C.
73. What is the purpose of viral transport medium (VTM)?
- Preserves viruses during transport.
74. How are viruses identified microscopically?
- Electron microscopy, fluorescent antibody staining.
75. What is serology used for in virology?
- Detects antibodies against viruses.
76. Name a viral inclusion body.
- Negri bodies (rabies).
77. What is PCR used for in virology?
- Detects viral nucleic acids.
78. What is the Tzanck smear used for?
- Diagnosing herpesvirus infections.
79. What is viral culture?
- Growing viruses in cell lines or eggs.
80. What is antigen detection?
- Identifying viral proteins (e.g., ELISA).
#### **10. Practical Microbiology**
81. How do you sterilize a wire loop?
- Flame until red hot.
82. What is the purpose of streak plating?
- To isolate single colonies.
83. How do you prepare a bacterial smear?
- Spread culture on a slide, air-dry, heat-fix.
84. What is the purpose of the pour plate method?
- To count viable bacteria.
85. What is anaerobic culture?
- Grows bacteria in oxygen-free conditions.
86. What is Quebec colony counter?
- A device to count bacterial colonies.
87. How do you adjust the pH of media?
- Using NaOH (if acidic) or HCl (if alkaline).
88. What is the catalase test procedure?
- Add H₂O₂ to bacteria; bubbles indicate catalase.
89. What is the oxidase test reagent?
- Tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine.
90. What is the coagulase test procedure?
- Mix bacteria with plasma; clumping indicates coagulase.
#### **11. Specimen Collection and Processing**
91. How is a blood culture collected?
- Aseptic venipuncture into sterile bottles.
92. What media are used for blood culture?
- Columbia broth, thioglycollate broth.
93. How is a urine sample collected for culture?
- Midstream clean-catch method.
94. What is CLED agar used for?
- Urine culture (inhibits swarming Proteus).
95. How is a throat swab collected?
- Swab tonsils and posterior pharynx.
96. What media are used for throat swabs?
- Blood agar, chocolate agar.
97. How is a stool sample processed for culture?
- Inoculated on XLD, MacConkey agar.
98. What bacteria are commonly found in CSF?
- Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae.
99. How is a vaginal swab collected?
- Using a speculum to swab the cervix.
100. What media are used for vaginal swabs?
- Thayer-Martin medium, blood agar.
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### **100 Top MCQs (Answers Only)**
1. **Who invented the microscope?**
- **Antony Van Leeuwenhoek**
2. **What is the magnification of an oil immersion lens?**
- **100x**
3. **What is the temperature for autoclaving?**
- **121°C**
4. **Gram-positive bacteria appear:**
- **Purple**
5. **Acid-fast bacteria are stained using:**
- **Ziehl-Neelsen stain**
6. **Blood agar is an example of:**
- **Enriched media**
7. **MacConkey agar is used to differentiate:**
- **Lactose fermenters**
8. **Catalase test is positive in:**
- **Staphylococcus**
9. **Oxidase test is positive in:**
- **Pseudomonas**
10. **Coagulase test is used to identify:**
- **Staphylococcus aureus**
11. **Which bacteria cause tuberculosis?**
- **Mycobacterium tuberculosis**
12. **Which antibiotic inhibits cell wall synthesis?**
- **Penicillin**
13. **Kirby-Bauer test is used for:**
- **Antibiotic sensitivity**
14. **HIV is a:**
- **RNA virus**
15. **Viral inclusion bodies are seen in:**
- **Rabies**
16. **The Tzanck smear detects:**
- **Herpesvirus**
17. **PCR detects:**
- **Viral nucleic acids**
18. **Sterilization by dry heat is done at:**
- **160-180°C**
19. **Seitz filters are used for:**
- **Filtration sterilization**
20. **CLED agar is used for:**
- **Urine culture**
