Chapter 25 Pathogenic RNA Viruses
25.1 Multiple Choice Questions
1) The “common cold” is so common because
A) no immunity to the virus develops.
B) the highly variable parainfluenza virus causes colds.
C) a large number of coronaviruses cause it.
D) over 100 strains of rhinovirus cause colds.
E) 100+ strains of rhinovirus and several other types of virus cause “colds.”
2) Which of the following RNA virus families include the smallest viral pathogens in animals?
A) Picornaviridae
B) Coronaviridae
C) Paramyxoviridae
D) Arenaviridae
E) Rhinoviridae
3) Which of the following is a family of six-pointed, star-shaped viruses that cause
gastrointestinal diseases?
A) Picornaviridae
B) Caliciviridae
C) Rhabdoviridae
D) Coronaviridae
E) Filoviridae
4) Which of the following statements about rhinoviruses is FALSE?
A) They are limited to infecting the upper respiratory tract.
B) They are the only viruses that can cause a common cold.
C) They are extremely infectious.
D) They thrive at 33°C.
E) Person-to-person contact is the most common mode of transmission.
5) Enteroviruses gain their name from the fact that they
A) infect the digestive system.
B) are able to withstand the low pH of the stomach.
C) are transmitted by the fecal-oral route.
D) spread from the intestinal lining into the bloodstream to cause viremia.
E) remain latent inside cells in the stomach and intestines.
6) Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting are signs and symptoms associated with which of the
following viruses?
A) coxsackie A
B) enterovirus
C) rhinovirus
D) echovirus
E) norovirus
7) Some patients who have suffered from polio develop symptoms 30-40 years later in the form
of
A) repeated cold symptoms.
B) meningitis.
C) encephalitis.
D) crippling deterioration and dysfunction in the polio-affected muscles.
E) deterioration of the nerves that control polio-affected muscles.
8) The type of polio that involves the infection of the brain stem and medulla is
A) asymptomatic polio.
B) postpolio syndrome.
C) bulbar poliomyelitis.
D) minor polio.
E) nonparalytic polio.
9) Fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, and a yellow color of the sclera and skin, without
hemorrhaging or kidney damage, are typically observed with
A) gastroenteritis.
B) dengue fever.
C) hepatitis.
D) rubella.
E) yellow fever.
10) Which vaccine-preventable disease caused by an RNA virus has been nearly eradicated?
A) measles
B) influenza
C) hantavirus
D) polio
E) rotavirus
11) Which of the following viruses is suspected of being a cause of diabetes mellitus?
A) coxsackie A virus
B) coxsackie B virus
C) echoviruses
D) enteroviruses
E) hepatitis A
12) The common childhood illness called “hand-foot-and-mouth disease” because it causes
lesions in these areas is caused by
A) an echoviruse.
B) a rhinoviruse.
C) a strain of coxsackie A virus.
D) a strain of coxsackie B virus.
E) the rubella virus.
13) Enteric hepatitis is fatal for 20% of people in which of the following groups?
A) infants under the age of 1 year
B) teenagers
C) young adults
D) pregnant women
E) elderly men
14) How do coronaviruses differ from togaviruses?
A) Coronaviruses have an envelope.
B) Coronaviruses are RNA viruses.
C) Coronaviruses have helical capsids.
D) Coronaviruses contain positive RNA.
E) Coronaviruses individual capsids can be visualized.
15) Which of the following is a member of the Flaviviridae that is NOT an arbovirus?
A) eastern equine encephalitis virus
B) dengue virus
C) hepatitis C virus
D) hepatitis E virus
E) West Nile virus
16) The West Nile virus is classified as a(n)
A) rhinovirus.
B) coronavirus.
C) togavirus.
D) flavivirus.
E) enterovirus.
17) The disease known as dengue hemorrhagic fever is actually
A) a hyperimmune response to reinfection with the dengue virus.
B) an immediate immune reaction to the initial infection with the dengue virus.
C) an antibody-antigen complex reaction.
D) the result of co-infection with other arboviruses.
E) the chronic carrier state of the dengue virus.
18) Which of the following is MISMATCHED?
A) Salk vaccine; requires boosters
B) Sabin vaccine; live attenuated vaccine
C) Salk vaccine; administered orally
D) Sabin vaccine; less stable
E) Salk vaccine; inactivated polio vaccine
19) Which of the following viruses is considered a childhood disease, was first identified by a
German physician, and is known to cause “three-day measles”?
A) rubella
B) roseola
C) echovirus
D) coxsackie A virus
E) rhinovirus
20) A child has a mild fever and a macular rash primarily on the torso. No lesions are evident in
the mouth, and the child has not complained of pain. Which of the following diseases might the
child have?
A) hand-foot-and-mouth disease
B) three-day measles
C) red measles
D) dengue fever
E) Rocky Mountain spotted fever
21) The transmission of enteric hepatitis is most effectively prevented by
A) safe sex practices.
B) immunization.
C) reducing aerosol dispersion.
D) vector control.
E) good public sanitation and personal hygiene.
22) Which of the following characteristics distinguishes coronaviruses from rhinoviruses?
A) replicate best at 33°C
B) transmitted via respiratory droplets
C) cause common colds
D) envelope is present
E) virions contain single-stranded positive RNA
23) Which of the following enzymes allows retroviruses to transcribe DNA from ssRNA?
A) protease
B) DNA polymerase
C) integrase
D) reverse transcriptase
E) nuclease
24) The human T-lymphotropic virus 1 causes
A) hairy cell leukemia.
B) adult acute T-cell lymphocytic leukemia.
C) Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
D) hepatic cancer.
E) Burkitt’s lymphoma.
25) The recent epidemic of SARS virus was caused by a(n)
A) adenovirus.
B) rhinovirus.
C) coronavirus.
D) flavivirus.
E) togavirus.
26) Colorado tick fever is caused by a ________ and can cause headache, muscle aches and
conjunctivitis in some individuals.
A) coltivirus
B) rotavirus
C) mumps virus
D) hantavirus
E) coxsackie B virus
27) Which of the following cells is NOT infected by HIV?
A) helper T cells
B) microglia
C) B lymphocytes
D) macrophages
E) dendritic cells
28) How are HIV virions rendered virulent?
A) The action of protease releases reverse transcriptase and capsomeres after the virion buds
from the cell.
B) They bud to the surface of the host cell.
C) They use a chemokine receptor to remove gp120.
D) They bind to smooth muscle cells.
E) They contact the cytoplasmic membrane via gp41.
29) A scientist discovers a new virus affecting birds. After isolation, the virus is characterized
as having single-strand RNA in an icosahedral capsid and an envelope. To which of the
following virus families might this new virus belong?
A) Coronaviridae
B) Flaviviridae
C) Orthomyxoviridae
D) Picornaviridae
E) Reoviridae
30) Which of the following cells are a major reservoir for and distributor of HIV?
A) helper T cells
B) B lymphocytes
C) cytotoxic T cells
D) infected dendritic cells
E) monocytes and macrophages
31) Which of the following bodily fluids is commonly a source of infection by HIV?
A) breast milk
B) semen
C) vaginal secretions
D) both semen and vaginal secretions
E) breast milk, semen, and vaginal secretions
32) An emerging fatal disease in humans caused by one of the members of the
Paramyxoviridae is known as
A) dengue virus.
B) Nipah virus.
C) respiratory syncytial virus.
D) Eastern encephalitis virus.
E) rubella virus.
33) Ebola hemorrhagic fever is caused by which type of virus?
A) filovirus
B) rhabdovirus
C) paramyxovirus
D) rubulavirus
E) pneumovirus
34) Public health scientists discover and become concerned about a new strain of RNA virus
among farm animals, especially geese and pigs, in the Midwest. Each virion is composed of
lipid, helical proteins, and multiple pieces of RNA. This new virus may be a(n)
A) rotavirus.
B) influenza virus.
C) hantavirus.
D) dengue virus.
E) coronavirus.
35) Which of the following pairs is MISMATCHED?
A) mumps; parotitis
B) rabies; hydrophobia
C) measles; Koplik’s spots
D) parainfluenza virus; croup
E) hantavirus; paralysis
36) Which of the following is a family of double-stranded RNA viruses?
A) Picornaviridae
B) Coronaviridae
C) Retroviridae
D) Reoviridae
E) Rhabdoviridae
37) Rodents are the normal hosts for which of the following encephalitis viruses?
A) eastern equine encephalitis (EEE)
B) St. Louis encephalitis
C) Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE)
D) western equine encephalitis (WEE)
E) West Nile virus
38) Which of the following is the most correct description of the function of reverse
transcriptase?
A) It synthesizes a DNA strand from an RNA template, degrades the RNA strand, and replaces
the RNA with a new DNA strand.
B) It synthesizes an RNA strand from an integrated DNA, then synthesizes the complementary
strand to produce a double-stranded RNA.
C) It synthesizes a DNA from an integrated DNA template, then synthesizes multiple RNA
copies of the newly synthesized DNA molecule.
D) It synthesizes an RNA strand from an infecting single-strand RNA then synthesizes multiple
RNA copies of both strands.
E) It synthesizes a DNA strand from an infecting RNA strand, then uses the DNA as a template
for synthesis of multiple new RNA strands.
39) Fever, jaundice, and hemorrhaging which often results in “black vomit” are characteristics
of
A) coronavirus.
B) Dengue fever.
C) hepatitis C infection.
D) West Nile fever.
E) yellow fever.
40) Which of the following viruses can establish a chronic infection of the liver which may
progress to liver cancer?
A) hepatitis A
B) HTLV-1
C) hepatitis C
D) hepatitis D
E) hepatitis E
41) Over the past couple of decades, most human rabies infection in the United States have
been the result of contact with rabid
A) dogs.
B) cats.
C) rats.
D) bats.
E) foxes.
42) The HIV virion is best described as a(n)
A) segmented RNA genome in an irregular polyhedron capsid with envelope.
B) unsegmented RNA genome in a helical capsid with an envelope.
C) unsegmented RNA genome in a long flexible helical capsid with envelope.
D) segmented RNA genome in an icosahedral capsid, without envelope.
E) segmented RNA genome in helical capsids and an envelope.
43) Humans may become infected with ________ by inhaling aerosols of dried rodent
excrement.
A) influenza virus
B) coronaviruses
C) hantavirus
D) West Nile virus
E) Venezuelan encephalitis virus
44) Which of the following is a possible complication of infection with the mumps virus?
A) subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE)
B) meningitis
C) pancreatitis
D) both meningitis and pancreatitis
E) meningitis, pancreatitis, and SSPE
45) Deltavirus (hepatitis D virus) requires co-infection with ________ to produce infectious
virions.
A) hepatitis A virus
B) hepatitis B virus
C) hepatitis C virus
D) arenaviruses
E) hepatitis E virus
25.2 True/False Questions
1) Hepatitis A does not cause chronic liver disease, and complete recovery occurs 99% of the
time.
2) In the United States, about 75% of children 7 years old and older have antibodies to
astroviruses.
3) Infection by all influenza strains can be prevented with vaccines.
4) Rhinovirus infection is only treatable with over-the-counter medications (antihistamine, pain
reliever, decongestant).
5) Coronaviruses cause gastrointestinal disease.
6) Norovirus is the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis in the United States.
7) The practice of screening blood, blood products, and organ transplants for HIV has virtually
eliminated the risk of HIV infection from these sources.
8) Infants infected with the coxsackie B virus do not develop myocarditis and, therefore, the
virus is rarely fatal.
9) Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide full protection from infection with the mumps virus.
10) The spread of hepatitis D is preventable by the hepatitis D vaccine.
25.3 Short Answer Questions
1) An RNA that can be used by a ribosome to translate into protein is
(double/positive/negative) strand RNA.
2) The clinical term for “runny nose” is (reovir/rhinorrhea/rhinovirus).
3) A vaccine is available to prevent (chronic/enteric/serum) hepatitis.
4) Jonas Salk developed a(n) (attenuated/inactivated/subunit) polio vaccine in 1955.
5) Infection with (astrovirus/norovirus/rotavirus) is the most common cause of diarrhea in
children worldwide.
6) A diagnostic sign of measles are (herpangina/Koplik’s spots/macules) in the mouth.
7) Chronic liver disease progressing to cancer can result from infection with the RNA hepatitis
(A/B/C) virus.
8) Arboviruses are transmitted by the (contact/enteric/vector) route.
9) A distinctive characteristic of rotavirus virions is the presence of (dsRNA/-
ssRNA/segemented RNA).
10) Rubella vaccine is a(n) (attenuated/inactivated/subunit) vaccine and should not be given to
pregnant women.
11) The dengue viruses are spread by (fleas/mosquitoes/ticks).
12) The (reoviruses/retroviruses/rhinoviruses) have been studied more than any other group of
viruses because of their unique features and the diseases they cause.
13) HIV attaches to T cell and macrophages by means of an interaction between gp120 and a(n)
(antibody/CD4/gp41) receptor.
14) Ebola and Marburg viruses are emerging pathogens that cause life-threatening
(encephalitis/diarrhea/hemorrhaging) and can be transmitted in body fluids.
15) The (hemagglutinin/neuraminidase/reverse transcriptase) of influenza viruses is both a
virulence factor and a target for antiviral treatment.
25.4 Essay Questions
1) Why do most individuals have more than one episode of the common cold in a season?
2) Compare and contrast the two polio vaccines used to nearly eradicate polio.
3) Why was the discovery of reverse transcriptase a momentous event in biology?
4) Compare and contrast infectious hepatitis (hepatitis A) and hepatitis C in terms of agents,
transmission, prevention, and disease outcomes.
5) Why are patients at risk for serious respiratory complications vaccinated every year for
influenza?