Which of the following disease is not caused by bacteria?

Appeared in: NHM UP Staff Nurse-2021 Shift-2nd

Explanation

Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by a protozoan of the genus Plasmodium.
Protozoa are single-celled eukaryotes, which are structurally different from bacteria (prokaryotes).
This fundamental difference is why antibiotics, which target bacterial structures and functions, are ineffective against protozoan parasites like Plasmodium.
Treatment for malaria requires specific antimalarial drugs that target the parasite's life cycle.

Option A: Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a well-known bacterial infection of the respiratory system.
Option B: Typhoid fever is a classic example of a systemic bacterial infection, caused by Salmonella typhi.
Option D: This option is incorrect because a correct answer, Malaria, is present among the choices.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Classification of infectious diseases based on their causative pathogens (bacteria vs. protozoa) helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Correctly identifying the pathogen type (bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic) is the most critical first step in selecting the appropriate antimicrobial therapy.
Administering antibiotics for a non-bacterial infection like malaria is ineffective, delays proper treatment, and contributes to the global problem of antibiotic resistance.
What if? If a patient presented with fever and the diagnosis was Dengue, the causative agent would be a virus. In this case, treatment would be supportive care, as neither antibiotics nor antimalarials would be effective.

How to Approach the Question

First, carefully read the question and identify the negative keyword 'not'. The goal is to find the disease that is an exception to being caused by bacteria.
Review each option and recall the causative agent for each disease.
Recall that Whooping Cough (Pertussis) is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.
Recall that Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi.
Recall that Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasite, which is a protozoan, not a bacterium.
Based on this analysis, Malaria is the only disease on the list not caused by bacteria, making it the correct answer.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Classification of infectious diseases based on their causative pathogens (bacteria vs. protozoa).
Stem keywords: disease, caused by bacteria
Lead-in keywords: not
Negative lead-in flag: Question asks for the exception (NOT caused by bacteria)

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E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart A (pp 26-201 of 604) p. 167-169

E6 Microbiology OneStop Sastry p. 64-66

Practise the full NHM UP Staff Nurse-2021 Shift-2nd

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.