Practice Test GeeksAP Practice Test
← All AP Flashcard Decks

Microbiology: Mycology and Parasitology Flashcards

7 cards from real AP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Microbiology: Mycology and Parasitology flashcards as text

  1. Which fungal structure is responsible for asexual reproduction by producing chains of spores through budding at the tip?

    Answer: Conidiophore

    Conidiophores are specialized hyphae that bear conidia (asexual spores) at their tips through a budding or fragmentation process.

  2. Plasmodium falciparum causes the most severe form of malaria primarily because it:

    Answer: Infects red blood cells of all ages and causes cytoadherence

    P. falciparum can infect erythrocytes of all ages and causes infected cells to adhere to capillary walls, leading to microvascular obstruction and cerebral malaria.

  3. The term 'dimorphic fungus' refers to an organism that:

    Answer: Exists as a mold at 25°C and a yeast at 37°C

    Dimorphic fungi switch between mold form (at environmental temperatures ~25°C) and yeast form (at body temperature ~37°C), which is critical to their pathogenicity.

  4. Entamoeba histolytica causes disease primarily by:

    Answer: Secreting proteases that lyse intestinal epithelial cells

    E. histolytica trophozoites secrete cysteine proteases and form flask-shaped ulcers in the colon by lysing and invading intestinal epithelium.

  5. Which laboratory test is most useful for diagnosing invasive aspergillosis in an immunocompromised patient?

    Answer: Galactomannan antigen detection in serum

    Galactomannan is a cell wall polysaccharide released by Aspergillus during growth; its detection in serum is a sensitive marker for invasive aspergillosis.

  6. Toxoplasma gondii can cause severe congenital disease because:

    Answer: Tachyzoites cross the placenta and infect fetal tissues during primary maternal infection

    During primary maternal infection, tachyzoites disseminate hematogenously and can cross the placental barrier, infecting the developing fetus and causing chorioretinitis, hydrocephalus, and calcifications.

  7. The cell wall component unique to fungi that is absent in humans, making it a key antifungal drug target, is:

    Answer: Glucan (β-1,3-glucan)

    β-1,3-glucan is a major structural component of the fungal cell wall absent in human cells; echinocandins (e.g., caspofungin) inhibit its synthesis.