Free Bacteriology MCQs with Answers

167 Bacteriology MCQs from Microbiology, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

Last updated

167 questions · page 1 of 9

  • A. E coli
  • B. Bifido bacteria
  • C. Staphylococcus
  • D. Salmonella

Explanation: Bifidobacteria are normal intestinal organisms widely used as probiotics because they can support the gut microbial balance.

Correct answer: Bifido bacteria
  • A. M. Kansasii
  • B. M. ulcerans
  • C. M. chelonae
  • D. M. smegmatis

Explanation: Mycobacterium chelonae is a rapidly growing nontuberculous mycobacterium associated with injection-site abscesses and outbreaks from…

Correct answer: M. chelonae
  • A. Caused by Calymmatobacterium granulomatis
  • B. Lymphadenopathy is remarkable & diagnostic
  • C. Penicillin is drug of choice
  • D. Characterized by painful genital ulcers

Explanation: Donovanosis is a sexually transmitted ulcerative infection caused by Calymmatobacterium granulomatis, now called Klebsiella granulomatis.

Correct answer: Caused by Calymmatobacterium granulomatis
  • A. Syphilis
  • B. Tuberculosis
  • C. Gonorrhea
  • D. Lymphoma

Explanation: The Kolmer test is a complement-fixation screening test historically used for syphilis by detecting antibodies against Treponema pallidum.

Correct answer: Syphilis
  • A. Direct microscopy
  • B. Culture
  • C. ELISA
  • D. DNA probe

Explanation: The organism must first be cultured and then tested with antimicrobial susceptibility methods such as disc diffusion or broth dilution.

Correct answer: Culture
  • A. Rickettsiae
  • B. Mycoplasma
  • C. Chlamydiae
  • D. Ehrlichiae

Explanation: Mycoplasma lacks a true peptidoglycan cell wall, making it naturally resistant to antibiotics that act on cell-wall synthesis, such as…

Correct answer: Mycoplasma
  • A. Trichrome Methylene blue
  • B. Carbol Fuschin
  • C. Acid Fast Stain
  • D. Calcoflour White

Explanation: An abattoir worker with a papule progressing to an ulcer suggests cutaneous anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis.

Correct answer: Trichrome Methylene blue
  • A. Fungi
  • B. Gram +ve bacteria
  • C. Virus
  • D. Gram -ve bacteria

Explanation: Endotoxin is lipopolysaccharide, specifically lipid A, in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and is released mainly during cell…

Correct answer: Gram -ve bacteria
  • A. Pseudomonas
  • B. coli
  • C. Proteus
  • D. Staphylococcus

Explanation: Weil-Felix testing uses Proteus strains, especially OX19, OX2 and OXK, because their antigens cross-react with rickettsial antibodies.

Correct answer: Proteus
  • A. Transduction
  • B. Transformation
  • C. Mutation
  • D. conjugation

Explanation: Conjugation commonly spreads antibiotic-resistance plasmids, or R factors, directly between bacteria and is an important source of…

Correct answer: conjugation
  • A. Staphylococcus
  • B. Streptococcus
  • C. Gonococcus
  • D. Mycobacterium

Explanation: Dorset's egg medium is an egg-based medium used for cultivating Mycobacterium, particularly tubercle bacilli.

Correct answer: Mycobacterium
  • A. Loefflers serum slope
  • B. Mc Conkey
  • C. Saboraud agar
  • D. Lowenstein Jensen medium

Explanation: Loeffler's serum slope supports rapid growth and enhances metachromatic granules in Corynebacterium diphtheriae, helping its recognition.

Correct answer: Loefflers serum slope
  • A. L-J medium
  • B. Robertson cooked meat medium
  • C. Loefflers medium
  • D. Sabourauds agar

Explanation: Robertson cooked meat medium supports the growth of anaerobes because the cooked meat reduces the oxidation-reduction potential and…

Correct answer: Robertson cooked meat medium
  • A. Protein polysaccharide complex
  • B. Heat labile
  • C. Highly potent
  • D. Has specific tissue affinity

Explanation: Exotoxins are usually soluble proteins, heat labile, highly potent, and specific in their tissue effects.

Correct answer: Protein polysaccharide complex
  • A. Clostridia
  • B. S. epidermidis
  • C. Choleria
  • D. Mycobacterium

Explanation: Robertson's cooked meat medium is reducing and therefore provides suitable anaerobic conditions, especially for Clostridium species.

Correct answer: Clostridia
  • A. The bacteria should be able to be isolated from a diseased tissue
  • B. When inoculated in experimental animals bacteria may or may not cause disease
  • C. Pure cultures can be obtained
  • D. Bacteria should be able to be isolated from the diseased tissue in the experimental animals

Explanation: Koch's postulates require the isolated organism to reproduce the disease in a healthy experimental host, not merely may or may not cause…

Correct answer: When inoculated in experimental animals bacteria may or may not cause disease
  • A. Louis pasteur
  • B. Robert koch
  • C. Hensen
  • D. Ogston

Explanation: Robert Koch introduced practical solid culture media, allowing bacteria to grow as separate colonies for isolation and identification.

Correct answer: Robert koch
  • A. Lipid-polysaccharide complex
  • B. Protein compound
  • C. Lipoprotein
  • D. None

Explanation: Exotoxins are soluble protein toxins actively secreted by certain bacteria, unlike endotoxin, which is the lipopolysaccharide component of…

Correct answer: Protein compound
  • A. Lag
  • B. Exponential growth
  • C. Stationary phase
  • D. Decline

Explanation: The stationary phase has approximately zero net growth because new cell formation balances cell death as nutrients become limited and…

Correct answer: Stationary phase
  • A. Actinomyces israelii
  • B. Candida albicans
  • C. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • D. Streptococcus mutan

Explanation: Mycobacterium tuberculosis has a lipid-rich, mycolic-acid cell wall and is poorly stained by the Gram method, so it is identified by…

Correct answer: Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Bacteriology MCQs: common questions

Are these Bacteriology MCQs free?

Yes. All Bacteriology MCQs from Microbiology are free on TestUstad, with unlimited attempts and no account needed. Nothing on this page is a sample or a trial.

How many Bacteriology MCQs are on this page?

There are 167 Bacteriology MCQs in the Microbiology bank, shown 20 to a page with the correct answer and an explanation on each.

Does every Bacteriology MCQ have an explanation?

Yes. Each Bacteriology question shows the correct option and a written explanation of why it is correct, so a wrong answer teaches you something rather than just being marked wrong.

Can I take a timed Bacteriology test?

Yes. The practice button on this page starts a free Bacteriology test drawn from the Microbiology bank. It marks each answer instantly, gives you a score at the end, and can be retaken as many times as you like.