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Microbiology and Pathology Flashcards

7 cards from real NBDE 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 and Pathology flashcards as text

  1. A 60-year-old smoker presents with a white, non-scrapable lesion on the floor of the mouth. Biopsy shows severe epithelial dysplasia. The most appropriate management is:

    Answer: Surgical excision with close follow-up

    Severe dysplasia in a leukoplakia lesion carries high malignant transformation risk and requires surgical excision with surveillance.

  2. Which cytokine is primarily responsible for fever induction (endogenous pyrogen) in acute inflammatory responses?

    Answer: IL-1β

    IL-1β (along with TNF-α and IL-6) acts on the hypothalamus to raise the body's temperature set point via prostaglandin E2 production.

  3. A patient develops oral ulcers, genital ulcers, and uveitis. Which condition best explains this clinical triad?

    Answer: Behçet disease

    Behçet disease is characterized by recurrent oral aphthae, genital ulcers, and ocular inflammation (uveitis) and is associated with HLA-B51.

  4. Osteosarcoma of the jaw most commonly affects which anatomical location?

    Answer: Posterior mandible/symphysis

    Jaw osteosarcomas preferentially arise in the posterior body and symphysis of the mandible, occurring a decade later than long-bone osteosarcomas.

  5. Which immunoglobulin class is most abundant in saliva and serves as the primary mucosal defense against oral pathogens?

    Answer: Secretory IgA (sIgA)

    Secretory IgA is produced by plasma cells in salivary glands and combines with a secretory component that protects it from proteolytic degradation in saliva.

  6. A 45-year-old patient on long-term corticosteroids develops an opportunistic oral infection. The most likely organism is:

    Answer: Candida albicans

    Oral candidiasis is the most common opportunistic infection in immunosuppressed patients, as corticosteroids impair T-cell function and local immunity.

  7. In which of the following conditions would you expect to find acantholysis (loss of intercellular cohesion) on biopsy?

    Answer: Pemphigus vulgaris

    Pemphigus vulgaris is caused by IgG autoantibodies against desmoglein 3, leading to acantholysis (suprabasilar splitting) of the oral epithelium.