Biology · Science General

Disease Causative Agents

2,258 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 biology infectious diseases pathogen and their mode of transmission some infectious diseases diseases and immunity health and diseases

Mycobacterium tuberculosis can attack on

  1. Lungs.

  2. Kidney.

  3. Bone.

  4. All of the above.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
The most common type of TB is pulmonary TB. In this, Mycobacterium tuberculosis attack on lungs. The source of infection for getting pulmonary TB is inhalation of TB bacteria which generally settles in lungs. 
TB also affects other parts of the body. This is called as extrapulmonary TB. Extrapulmonary TB includes meningitis TB affecting the brain. The other sites which are attacked by Mycobacterium tuberculosis are lymph node, bones, kidney, spine, etc.
Thus, the correct answer is option D.
Multiple choice biology infectious diseases pathogen and their mode of transmission some infectious diseases diseases and immunity health and diseases

A disease which causes maximum deaths in children is 

  1. Diphtheria

  2. Measles

  3. Tuberculosis

  4. Whooping cough
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation


  • Tuberculosis is an infectious disease usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body. The symptoms of active TB is a chronic cough with blood-containing sputum, fever, night sweats, and weight loss.

    • Tuberculosis responsible for causing maximum deaths in children. If not diagnosed and treated at early stages.

  • So, the correct answer is 'Tuberculosis'.

Multiple choice biology infectious diseases pathogen and their mode of transmission some infectious diseases diseases and immunity health and diseases

Bacteria which causes the disease by tissue damage is

  1. Tetanus bacteria

  2. TB-bacteria

  3. Typhoid bacteria

  4. Cholera bacteria
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease cased by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Though TB typically attacks the lungs, it can also target the kidney, spine and brain. Once the bacteria is spread, Mycobacterium tuberculosis grows in the throat and lungs after two to eight weeks after infection. It then can either be fought off entirely by the immune system, remain in the body in a latent state, or develop into active TB. If it is active TB, it can then become skeletal TB, genital tract TB, urinary tract TB, CNS TB, gastrointestinal TB, adrenal TB or cardiac TB. The tissue damage results from the lymphoid cells releasing toxic substances rather than from bacterial toxins. The bacteria actually cause macrophages to form granulomas. These granulomas can liquefy and cause bacteria to spill into the lungs to cause large  cavities to form active TB. The bacteria breed in the cavities. Thus, the tissue destruction results from cell-mediated hypersensitivity.

Therefore, the correct answer is option B.

Multiple choice biology health and diseases pathogen and their mode of transmission some infectious diseases diseases and immunity

Which of the following is an infectious disease?

  1. Arthritis

  2. AIDS

  3. Tetanus

  4. Sleeping sickness
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

AIDS (Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is an infection which is caused by Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The causative agent of the disease is a virus and so the disease can spread from one person to the other by sexual contact. 

Thus, the correct answer is option B. 

Multiple choice biology food through digestive tract role of large intestine in digestion busy at work - our internal organs parts of the digestive system: structure and function

The disease due to inflammation of vermiform appendix of the digestive system is known as

  1. Amoebic dysentery

  2. Appendicitis

  3. Intestinal cancer

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

Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix, a finger-shaped pouch that projects from the colon on the lower right of the abdomen.
Therefore, the correct answer is option B.

Multiple choice biology diseases and immunity pathogen and their mode of transmission classification of microbes infectious diseases

Which of the following is water borne disease?

  1. Malaria

  2. Cholera

  3. Tuberculosis

  4. Both A and B
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. This bacteria is usually found in food or water contaminated by feces of an infected person. This is most likely to happen when sewage water mixes with a source of drinking water. Drinking water after boiling helps to prevent this infection. Thus the correct answer is option B.

Multiple choice biology diseases and immunity pathogen and their mode of transmission classification of microbes infectious diseases

Which of the following causes infectious diseases?

  1. Pollutants

  2. Harmful lifestyle

  3. Inheritance

  4. Microorganisms
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Pollutants are the harmful oxides or chemicals which degrade the quality of the environment and causes pollution. 

Harmful lifestyle affects the metabolic process of the body and leading to severe diseases and also causes ageing.
Inheritance is the transfer of characters from the parents to offsprings. 
Microorganisms are the small microorganism which are not visible to naked eye and carries the pathogens responsible for infectious disease.
So, the correct answer is option D.

Multiple choice biology diseases and immunity pathogen and their mode of transmission classification of microbes infectious diseases

Which common disease is also known as hydrobhobia?

  1. Rabies

  2. Dengue

  3. Typhoid

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

Rabies is a viral infection that mainly spreads through a bite from an infected animal. It is an RNA virus of the rhabdovirus family.Once inside the nervous system, the virus produces acute inflammatiom of the brain. Coma and death soon follows. Encephelitus Rabies:This occurs in 80% of human cases. The person is more likely to experience hyperactivity and "hydrophobia".

So, the correct option is A. ( Rabies )

Multiple choice biology diseases and immunity pathogen and their mode of transmission classification of microbes infectious diseases

A disease spread directly by animal bites is 

  1. Syphilis

  2. Scarlet Fever

  3. Rabies

  4. Malaria
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Rabies is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the brain in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. Other symptoms include violent movements, uncontrolled excitement, fear of water, an inability to move parts of the body, confusion, and loss of consciousness. Rabies virus is typically transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mammal, often a carnivore or a bat.

So, the correct answer is 'Rabies'.

Multiple choice biology diseases and immunity pathogen and their mode of transmission classification of microbes infectious diseases

Which of the following pathogens causes whooping cough?

  1. Legionella spp.

  2. Bordetella pertussis

  3. Vibrio cholerae

  4. Brucella melitensis
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The other options cause different diseases such as Legionnaires disease, cholera, and brucellosis.

Multiple choice biology diseases and immunity pathogen and their mode of transmission classification of microbes infectious diseases

Disease which affects central nervous system is

  1. Polio

  2. Jaundice

  3. Rabies

  4. Both A and C
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
Rabies is a viral disease that is spread most often from the bite of a rabid animal to another animal or to a human. The rabies virus affects the central nervous system including the brain and spinal cord of humans and animals. During the incubation period, the time between exposure to the virus and the appearance of symptoms, the virus travels along nerves towards the brain. This process takes an average of one to three months, but can range from several days to several years after exposure. The infection causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord that can lead to encephalopathy and later, death.
Multiple choice biology diseases and immunity pathogen and their mode of transmission classification of microbes infectious diseases

Hydrophobia is related to

  1. Rabies

  2. Hepatitis

  3. Yellow fever

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

Rabies causes hydrophobia in the encephalitic stage which means when it affects the brain and causes swelling and inflammation of multiple areas of the brain. Hence, it affects the complex swallowing areas in the brain. Initially into the course of the disease, the patient has involuntary contractions of neck muscles when he drinks water. At later stages of disease, the patient starts contracting his muscles even at the thought of water. Rabies virus is a neurotropic virus which means that it travels through nerves because of its preference to attach to acetylcholine receptors in the neurons.