Biology · Science General

Disease Causative Agents

2,531 Questions

Disease causative agents questions test your understanding of viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, along with their transmission methods. These are common topics in general science sections of SSC and railways exams. Practice these questions to accurately identify disease pathogens and symptoms.

Viral diseasesFoodborne illnessesDisease transmission methodsExtrinsic disease factorsCommon pathogens

Disease Causative Agents Questions

Multiple choice

Typhus fever is caused by

  1. rickettsia prowazekii

  2. varicella zoster

  3. arbo virus

  4. rhabdo virus

  5. NA
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

It is the correct answer as typhus fever is caused by rickettsia prowazekii. It is transmitted to humans through external parasites such as fleas and ticks.

Multiple choice

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common bacterial cause of pneumonia in all age groups except newborn infants. Recurrent or severe bacterial pneumonia does NOT usually complicate which of the following conditions in human beings?

  1. Immunosuppression following renal transplantation

  2. Splenectomy

  3. Secondary immunodeficiency

  4. Primary antibody deficiencies

  5. Complement C3 deficiency
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The anti T-cell immunosuppression used to prevent graft rejection increases the risk of fungal and viral infections. Primary cytomegalovirus infection in a renal transplant recipient; bacterial pneumonia is a particular risk when the patient is neutropenic after bone marrow transplantation.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is not a sexually-transmitted disease?

  1. Gonorrhoea

  2. Hypoglycemia

  3. Trichomoniasis

  4. Chlamydiasis

  5. Syphilis
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct option. Hypoglycemia is not a sexually-transmitted disease. It is a disease in which blood sugar levels decrease to below normal sugar levels.

Multiple choice

Dr. Keith Poulsen is a professor of veterinary medicine at

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

A new strain of flu that likely came from Asia has sickened thousands of dogs in the Midwest, experts say.
The new dog flu virus, which has not been seen before in U.S. dogs, has infected more than 1,000 dogs and is responsible for six dog deaths in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana, according to experts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Cornell University who have been collecting and testing samples of the virus.
"The dog population here has never seen this strain before," said Dr. Keith Poulsen, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

  1. University of Wisconsin-Madison

  2. University of Massachusetts

  3. University of California

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Option (2) is the correct answer. It is given in the second paragraph.

Multiple choice

Bird flu affects

  1. cattle

  2. poultry

  3. sheep

  4. prawn

  5. silkworm
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Bird flu (avian influenza) primarily affects poultry including chickens, ducks, and other birds. It is a viral disease that can cause severe illness and high mortality rates in bird populations. Cattle, sheep, prawns, and silkworms are affected by different diseases specific to their species.

Multiple choice

Which virus from the following combinations is contagious for human beings?

  1. H5N1

  2. H2N3

  3. H4N1

  4. H5N2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

H5N1 (Avian Influenza) is a subtype of influenza virus that can infect humans, primarily through contact with infected poultry. It has caused human infections and deaths since 1997. The other combinations (H2N3, H4N1, H5N2) are not known to be contagious to humans or are less significant in human transmission.

Multiple choice

Bacteriophages are

  1. bacteria that attack viruses

  2. the virusesin general

  3. viruses that attack bacteria

  4. the bacteria in general

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect and replicate within bacteria. The term literally means 'bacteria eater'. They are not bacteria themselves, but viruses that target bacterial cells.

Multiple choice

Which of the following organisms spreads the disease called mumps?

  1. Virus

  2. Fungus

  3. Bacterium

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Mumps is a viral infection caused by the mumps virus, which belongs to the paramyxovirus family. It primarily affects the salivary glands, causing painful swelling. Unlike bacterial or fungal infections, mumps cannot be treated with antibiotics and requires prevention through vaccination.

Multiple choice

Minamata disease is due to

  1. cadmium poisoning

  2. mercury poisoning

  3. lead poisoning

  4. arsenic poisoning
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Minamata disease is caused due to mercury poisoning.