MICROBIOLOGY EXAM JUNE 15th 2012

1. Darkfield microscopy: principles and applications

2. Define the following concepts: fimbriae, capsule, differential
culture medium, polyphosphate granules, generation time.
3. Fermentation. Describe the two steps that made up the process
and give examples of the final products commenting on their
industrial interest.
4. Define the following concepts: sterilization, antibiotic, betalactamase, bacteriostatic, selective toxicity.
5. Quote: the three main characteristics that differentiate prokaryotic
from eukaryotic genome, the three genes constituting the lactose
operon of Escherichia coli and the three enzymes they encode, the
three mechanisms for genetic recombination in bacteria, the three
types of mutations according to their molecular mechanism.
6. Quote 10 vaccines used to prevent diseases caused by viruses, the
virus that causes them and the mechanism by which they are
transmitted.
7. Quote 5 herpesvirus, 5 tumor-associated viruses, 5 viruses that are
transmitted through the air and 5 which are sexually transmitted.
8. List the causative agents of the following diseases:
Mediterranean spotted fever
Q fever
Rheumatic fever
Typhoid fever
Toxic shock syndrome
Scalded skin syndrome
Septic shock
Lyme disease
Leprosy
Whooping cough
9. Define Factor R, draw a diagram of a typical R factor of E. coli and
describe each of its components.
10. Define: HFR strain, sexduction, genetic engineering, specialized
transduction and Ffactor.
11. Implications of genetic variability in HIV.
12. The DTP vaccine protects against three diseases, quote them,
citing also the microorganisms that cause them, the transmission
mechanism and whether or not they can be transmitted from person
to person.
Students taking the exam for the first and second semesters will
answer questions 1-8. Students taking the second semester only will
answer questions 5 to 12.