CBIC Trivia 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following organisms is classified as a Category A bioterrorism agent by the CDC due to its potential for mass casualties?
- Salmonella typhi
- Bacillus anthracis (Correct answer)
- Clostridium difficile
- Norovirus
Correct answer: Bacillus anthracis
Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) is a Category A agent because it can be easily disseminated, causes high mortality, and requires special public health preparedness.
Question 2: What does the acronym 'MRSA' stand for in the context of infection prevention?
- Multiple-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (Correct answer)
- Multi-drug Resistant Streptococcal Agent
- Methicillin-Resistant Streptococcal Antigen
Correct answer: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a strain resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics including methicillin, oxacillin, and most penicillins.
Question 3: The primary mode of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) transmission in healthcare settings is:
- Airborne droplet nuclei
- Direct contact via contaminated hands or surfaces (Correct answer)
- Bloodborne contact
- Vector-borne through arthropods
Correct answer: Direct contact via contaminated hands or surfaces
C. difficile spreads via the fecal-oral route, primarily through the hands of healthcare workers who contact contaminated patients or environmental surfaces.
Question 4: Which surveillance definition system do most U.S. hospitals use to report healthcare-associated infections to the CDC?
- ICD-10-CM coding criteria
- NHSN (National Healthcare Safety Network) definitions (Correct answer)
- IDSA clinical diagnostic criteria
- Joint Commission sentinel event criteria
Correct answer: NHSN (National Healthcare Safety Network) definitions
The CDC's NHSN provides standardized surveillance definitions used by thousands of U.S. healthcare facilities to track and report HAIs.
Question 5: Which environmental reservoir is most commonly associated with healthcare outbreaks of Legionella pneumophila?
- Contaminated food in hospital cafeterias
- Hospital water distribution systems and cooling towers (Correct answer)
- HVAC air filtration systems
- Soil tracked in during construction
Correct answer: Hospital water distribution systems and cooling towers
Legionella thrives in warm water systems such as hot water tanks, cooling towers, and decorative fountains, making water management plans essential.
Question 6: An infection preventionist identifies a cluster of postoperative wound infections with the same organism. The FIRST step in investigating a potential outbreak is:
- Implement contact precautions for all surgical patients
- Confirm and establish the existence of an outbreak using baseline rates (Correct answer)
- Notify the state health department immediately
- Culture all healthcare workers on the unit
Correct answer: Confirm and establish the existence of an outbreak using baseline rates
Before launching a full outbreak investigation, the IP must verify that the cluster exceeds expected baseline rates to confirm it is a true outbreak.
Question 7: Which calculation correctly defines 'incidence rate' in infection surveillance?
- Number of new infections ÷ average daily census × 100
- Number of new infections ÷ number of persons at risk × time period (Correct answer)
- Total infections ÷ total patient days × 1,000
- Number of infected patients ÷ total discharges × 100
Correct answer: Number of new infections ÷ number of persons at risk × time period
Incidence rate accounts for the population at risk over a specified time period, making it the standard measure for tracking new infection occurrences.
CBIC Trivia 4
Which of the following organisms is classified as a Category A bioterrorism agent by the CDC due to its potential for mass casualties?