Question 1

What two ways can campers remove Giardia cysts from a natural water source?

Accepted Answer

Boiling will kill Giardia cysts and there are commercially available filters that will remove the cysts from water (for the campers).

Question 2

Malaria produces its effect in what two places in the body?

Accepted Answer

Malaria is a protozoal infection of the circulatory system and liver.

Question 3

A therapeutic use for quinine,other than for treating malaria,is for treating:

Accepted Answer

At doses of 260 to 300 mg taken once or twice before bedtime, quinine relieves nocturnal leg cramps.

Question 4

Ms.Smith has a family history of anemia.After returning from a vacation in the tropics,she develops malaria.Which medication should not be given?

Accepted Answer

Primaquine, specifically, produces hemolytic anemia in individuals who are genetically deficient in the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD).

Question 5

A patient with a tapeworm infestation has been admitted to the hospital.The patient also has a low blood count.What should be suspected by the health care professional?

Accepted Answer

Hookworms and tapeworms are especially dangerous because these parasites can perforate the intestinal membranes.

Question 6

Is a radical cure for malaria necessary for someone who is asymptomatic?

Accepted Answer

Radical cure of malaria is produced when the antimalarial drug eliminates the protozoal parasites from all tissues, especially the liver and RBCs.

Question 7

A patient with severe liver disease and dysentery arrives at the hospital.Can the patient receive metronidazole?

Accepted Answer

These patients must be monitored more closely; however, the drug can be given.

Question 8

Where is the location of the malarial microorganism when a human is first exposed?

Accepted Answer

Initially, the microorganisms invade the liver, where they mature.

Question 9

Entamoeba histolytica is more dangerous than Giardia lamblia at producing dysentery because:

Accepted Answer

Entamoeba histolytica can cause additional damage because it invades hepatic tissue and produces hepatic amebiasis (amebic hepatitis).

Question 10

A desirable feature of metronidazole is its ability to:

Accepted Answer

These drugs are distributed very well to many tissues, including bone, bile, intestines, and abscesses within the liver.

Question 11

Which of the following protozoal infections does not respond to drug therapy?

Accepted Answer

Fortunately, all of these protozoal infections, especially malaria, readily respond to drug therapy.

Question 12

Since many parasitic worms are ingested and remain in the intestines,many anthelmintic drugs can successfully exert their effect because many are poorly absorbed.Piperazine will induce its action by:

Accepted Answer

Piperazine blocks the worm's responses to acetylcholine (ACH), causing flaccid paralysis, whereas pyrantel inhibits cholinesterases (elevating ACH), leading to depolarizing neuromuscular blockade.

Question 13

After returning from a trip to the tropics,Mr.Smith begins to experience flu-like symptoms.The chills and high fever he is experiencing are probably due to:

Accepted Answer

In the RBCs, the protozoa rapidly multiply, often causing the cells to rupture. When the cells rupture, chills and high fever are produced, and many protozoa are released to reinfect more red blood cells.

Question 14

An example of a sexually transmitted protozoan would be:

Accepted Answer

Since this organism is frequently transmitted to females through sexual intercourse, trichomoniasis is considered a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

Question 15

In order to avoid toxoplasmosis,pregnant women should stay away from a cat's litter box for:

Accepted Answer

If the patient is infected very early in pregnancy, Toxoplasma will induce abortion, viewed in the patient as a miscarriage of the first trimester. Pregnant women who contract the infection during the second and third trimesters can pass the organism on to the newborn.

Question 16

What should be avoided so that a disulfiram-like reaction will not be experienced by a patient on metronidazole?

Accepted Answer

Individuals taking metronidazole and tinidazole should not drink alcoholic beverages because metronidazole produces a disulfiram-like reaction with alcohol that can be very unpleasant.

Question 17

What antimalarial agent can be used to produce a radical cure?

Accepted Answer

Primaquine is an antimalarial agent used to produce radical cure.

Question 18

A patient with malaria has overdosed on chloroquine.If no antidote is available,what can be done for the patient?

Accepted Answer

Conversely, acidification of the urine will promote excretion.

Question 19

What medication might a person be taking if he or she experiences headache and ringing in the ears?

Accepted Answer

Quinine may produce cinchonism in sensitive individuals. Cinchonism, a symptom complex characterized by central nervous system (CNS) stimulation, ringing in the ears, and headache, is a derivative from cinchona, the South American tree from which quinine is obtained.

Question 20

Toxoplasmosis spreads to humans from:

Accepted Answer

Most commonly Toxoplasma has been identified in the fecal material of domestic cats.

Quiz 43: Parasitic Infections: Antiprotozoal and Anthelmintic Drugs