Pathology Practice Test

1. The cardinal feature of atypical pneumonia secondary to Legionella pneumophila is:

A. clinical presentation incompatible with chest X-ray
B. rust colored sputum
C. stepwise fever pattern
D. hyponatremia
E. bloody diarrhea


2. A 4yo/m develops an infection with Chlamydia trachomatis. How does infection with this organism cause blindness?


A. Cataract formation
B. Hemorrhage into the anterior chamber
C. Hemorrahge into the posterior chamber
D. Retinal detachment
E. Scarring of the cornea

3. Paroxysmal pattern of hacking coughs, accompanied by production of copious amounts of mucus, that end with an inspiratory gasp is the characteristic clinical manifestationof infection with which of the following organism?

A. Haemophilus influenzae
B. Staphylococcus aureus
C. Parainfluenza virus type I
D. Bordetella pertussis
E. Corynebacterium diphtheriae

4. A patient with meningococcemia develops hpotension in association with high fever, widespread purpura and disseminated intravascular coagulation. This should alert you to the development of which catastrophic complication?

A. Conn syndrome
B. Fitz Hugh Curtis syndrome
C. Waterhaouse Friderichsen syndrome
D. acute renal failure
E. Addison's disease

5. A 30yo male was admitted to the hospital after suffering extensive third degree burns. Three days later, he spiked a fever, and there was pus on the dressing that had a blue-green color. Gram stain of the pus showed gram-negative rods. What is the most likely etiology?

(A) P. mirabilis
(B) E. coli
(C) P. aeruginosa
(D) S. aureus
(E) P. multocida

6. A 5-month old girl has watery, nonbloody diarrhea. Stool culture reveals only normal enteric flora. What is the most likely etiology?

(A) Norovirus
(B) Rotavirus
(C) Astrovirus
(D) Adenovirus
(E) Dengue virus

7. A patient is referred to a neurologist because of ataxia. Neurological examination reveals a loss of proprioception and a wide based, slapping gate. Which of the following organisms is most likely to have caused this pattern of damage?

(A) Haemophilus influenza
(B) Herpes simplex 1
(C) Neisseria gonorrhoea
(D) Neisseria meningitidis
(E) Treponema pallidum

8. A 50/f has blurred vision and slurred speech. She is afebrile. She is famous in her neighbourhood for her home-canned vegetables and fruits. What is the most likely etiology?

(A) Tick bite
(B) T. cruzi
(C) S. aureus
(D) C. tetani
(E) C. botulinum

9. A 1-month old boy has a persistent cough and severe wheezing for the past 2 days. On physical exam, his temperature is 39 degrees Celsius and coarse rhonchi are heard bilaterally. Diagnosis was made by ELISA that detected viral antigen in nasal washings. What is the most likely diagnosis?

(A) HSV
(B) Influenza A
(C) Parainfluenza virus 1
(D) RSV
(E) Rotavirus

10. A 24yo/F experienced sudden onset of high fever, myalgias, vomiting, and diarrhea. A sunburn-like rash appeared over most of her body. Blood cultures and stool cultures are negative. She is recovering from a surgical procedure on her maxillary sinus and the bleeding was being staunched with nasal tampons. What is the most likely etiology?

(A) S. aureus
(B) S. pneumoniae
(C) S. pyogenes
(D) S. sanguis
(E) S. epidermidis

11. In primary complex, evidence of radiographically detectable calcification of a subpleuragranuloma and its associated lymph node is called:

(A) Ghon's complex
(B) Simon's focus
(C) Ranke's complex
(D) Pastia's lines
(E) Kerley B lines

12. a 54yo male with colon cancer develops subacute onset of fever with rigors and chills.Auscultation reveals a holosystolic murmur. What is the most likely etiology of infective endocarditis in this patient?

A. Enterococcus faecalis
B. Viridans streptococci
C. Streptococcus bovis
D. Staphylococcus aureus
E. Kingella kingae