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BPS3022 Microbiology and Immunology S1 2025
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Oscar was infected by breathing in airborne particles as he swept the around the bins. Describe 4 anatomical barriers that were breached at the time he was infected.
[4 marks]
[max. 50 words]
Ten days after Oscar caught the virus, he felt completely well for the first time. The figure below is a schematic representation of the timeline of Oscar’s infection. Answer the following questions about this timeline.
(A) What does the shaded blue triangle (i) represent?
(B) What is indicated by the dotted line (ii) and what is the significance of when this line is crossed?
Certain timepoints/stages are represented by (iii), (iv) and (v) on the timeline. With reference to these timepoints/stages, explain the following:
(C) When did Oscar start to experience symptoms of the infection?
(D) When will memory T cells be generated?
[1+2+1+1=5 marks]
[max. 150 words]
Jane is healthy woman who does not currently have an infection. However, a blood test found complement proteins in her blood.
(A) Is the presence of complement expected? Briefly explain why or why not.
(B) The complement proteins in Jane’s blood were not activated. Why is this the case?
(C) Spontaneous hydrolysis of C3 complement protein occurred at a slow rate in Jane’s blood. Describe how the reaction changed when Jane got an infection and why.
[2 + 1 + 3 = 6 marks]
[max. 200 words]
Gut Gripe is a bacterial disease that causes diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps. The causative bacterium ( ) is found in the intestines of animals such as chickens. However, disease may also spread via vegetables which are contaminated by -containing manure. To avoid Gut Gripe, poultry should be cooked thoroughly prior to consumption and vegetables washed thoroughly, especially if they are to be eaten raw.
(A) Scenario 1
You make yourself a salad for lunch using fresh ingredients straight from the garden of your small farm. You do not wash or cook any of the vegetables. After eating the salad, you become unwell for several days.
(B) Scenario 2
Despite being unwell, you go to your job at the local restaurant. You do not observe standard hygiene practices and do not to wash your hands after using the bathroom. You prepare salad all day and a subsequent Gut Gripe outbreak occurs among patrons who ate the salad you prepared (for this scenario, your answer needs to focus on the outbreak among the restaurant patrons).
For each scenario in (A) and (B) above, state whether the transfer of the bacteria is direct or indirect, AND, identify both the vehicle and the reservoir.
[3 + 3 = 6 marks]
[max. 100 words]
The diagram above is a generic representation of a bacterial regulatory system known as an operon. Imagine genes A-E represent functional genes for the bacterium. For the purposes of this question, genes A-E are required for the synthesis of glutamic acid.
Explain how this operon would work if it was an
repressible system.[6 marks]
[max. 150 words]
One of the reservoirs for is known to be resistant to tetracyclines; the following plasmid has been isolated from
The human intestinal tract is also a common reservoir for
Escherichia coli. Your research team studies different strains of E. coli isolated from human faecal samples. Most strains of E. coli are susceptible to tetracycline. You have just demonstrated that E. coli strain 3022 (previously known to be susceptible to tetracycline), now uses the exact same mechanism for tetracycline resistance as P. vulgaris.Using the information presented in this scenario, what is the most likely
mechanism to explain how
E. colistrain 3022 is now resistant to
tetracycline? Give a brief explanation of the mechanism to support your response.
[5 marks]
[max. 100 words]
Look at the following schematic representation of the SSV replication cycle.
With direct reference to the
numbered steps in the life cycle schematic, name two (2) steps that would be
ideal targets for the development of antiviral agents and for each of these,
give a brief rationale for why you have chosen that step
ANDhow the
antiviral would work.
[6 marks]
[max. 200 words]
Oscar was diagnosed with infection by the Sesame Street Virus (SSV). SSV is a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus (pictured below).
(A) The SSV
virion pictured above has glycoprotein spikes on the surface of the virion
(structure A). What is the function of
this glycoprotein in the viral life cycle?
(B) Viruses
survive by hijacking host cell machinery to express viral proteins. The schematic of the SSV virion shows a
protein, labelled Viral protein X.
Viral protein X is necessary for both viral genome replication and
protein expression. What type of protein
is viral protein X and why is it packaged into the virion?
(C) Explain
how SSV will express proteins such as Structure C shown in the diagram of the
virion.
(D) SSV has
replicated in Oscar’s cells. In the diagram of the SSV virion, what is
structure B and how is it formed?
[1 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 8 marks][max. 300 words]
The bacterium Monash parkvilleae does not have a cell wall. For each of the following classes of antibiotics, state whether they would would not be suitable to treat infections and briefly justify each of your decisions.
(A) Tetracyclines (bind the 30S subunit of the bacterial ribosome)
(B) Cephalosporins (disrupt cross--linking of peptidoglycan)
(C) Rifamycins (inhibit bacterial RNA polymerase)
[3+3+3=9 marks]
[max. 150 words]
Researchers all over the world are currently studying SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of using human cells, some researchers are using African Green Monkey Kidney Cells ('Vero' cells) to successfully grow the virus in culture.
A. Why are they using cells to culture the virus instead of artificial media such as nutrient agar? (2 marks)
B. We know this virus has most likely originated from animals (although probably not African Green Monkeys). What important feature must these Vero cells have if they can be used to grow SARS-CoV-2 and why is this important? (2 marks)