Biology infectious disease practice questions
Original practice for mechanisms of disease, immune response, epidemiology and public health reasoning.
How to use this bank
Answer under time, then check whether your response includes mechanism, evidence and outcome. Biology marks often come from the link between process and consequence.
Explain how mutation and selection can contribute to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial populations.
Strong answer includes: random mutation, selection pressure from antibiotic use, survival/reproduction of resistant bacteria, population frequency change, consequence for treatment.
A community has high vaccination coverage but still experiences a local disease outbreak. Assess two biological or social factors that may explain the outbreak.
Strong answer includes: herd immunity limits, pathogen variation, waning immunity, vulnerable populations, mobility, misinformation or access barriers, with judgement.
Describe how one named barrier of the innate immune system reduces pathogen entry.
Repair drill
If your answer is generic, rewrite using this sequence: pathogen → host response → biological mechanism → measurable result.