Section B: Short answer questions [40 Marks]

Answer ALL questions on separate answer sheet(s) provided.

1. Define the following terms [18 marks]
A. Mesophile
B. Antimicrobial agent
C. Selective media
D. Facultative anaerobe
E. Transcription
F. Spectrum of activity
G. Zone of inhibition
H. Selective toxicity
I. Spontaneous mutation

2. Match the structures in column A to their functions in column B [10 marks]

Column A
A. Cell wall ______________________
B. Endospore __________________
C. Fimbriae___________________
D. Flagella_____________________
E. Glycocalyx____________________
F. Pili_________________________
G. Plasma membrane________________
H. Ribosomes_____________________
I. Lactoferrins_____________________
J. Lysozymes______________________
Column B
1. Attachment to surfaces
2. Cell wall formation
3. Motility
4. Digestive enzyme storage
5. Protection from osmotic lysis
6. Protection from phagocytes
7. Iron binding
8. Protein synthesis
9. Selective permeability
10. Transfer of genetic material
11. Resting

3. A prokaryotic cell embarked on a ride to Earth on a space shuttle from some unknown planet.
The organism is a psychrophile, an obligate halophile, and an obligate aerobe. Based on the
characteristics of the microbe, describe the planet. [2 marks]

4. As an intern working in wound ward, you tell your wound patients to wash hands before
removing bandages, to wash gently around the wound with soap and water, and to swab the
wound with hydrogen peroxide. One day a patient calls, alarmed that the hydrogen peroxide
caused her wound to bubble. What would you tell the patient? [2 marks]

5. Why do obligate aerobes grow in oxygen while obligate anaerobes don’t? [3 marks]

6. Mention five classes of antibacterial agents with their mechanism of action [5 marks]