Medical Technologist Test Analyzing Medical Technologist 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which method is the REFERENCE STANDARD for blood glucose measurement?
- Glucose oxidase method
- Hexokinase method (Correct answer)
- Glucose dehydrogenase method
- Colorimetric method
Correct answer: Hexokinase method
The hexokinase method is the NCCLS/WHO reference method for glucose measurement due to its high specificity and accuracy.
Question 2: A patient has a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) with anti-IgG but negative with anti-C3d. Which condition is MOST consistent?
- Cold autoimmune hemolytic anemia
- Warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (Correct answer)
- Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria
- ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn
Correct answer: Warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Warm AIHA is typically IgG-mediated without complement activation, resulting in a DAT positive with anti-IgG but negative with anti-C3d.
Question 3: Which parasite is identified by finding 'owl's eye' inclusions in cells on a peripheral blood smear?
- Plasmodium vivax
- Babesia microti
- Trypanosoma brucei
- None — owl's eye inclusions are found in CMV-infected cells, not blood parasites (Correct answer)
Correct answer: None — owl's eye inclusions are found in CMV-infected cells, not blood parasites
Owl's eye inclusions are the hallmark of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-infected cells, not blood parasites; Babesia shows tetrad (Maltese cross) forms.
Question 4: In mycobacteriology, which staining technique uses heat to drive carbol fuchsin into acid-fast organisms?
- Kinyoun stain
- Ziehl-Neelsen stain (Correct answer)
- Auramine-rhodamine stain
- Gram stain
Correct answer: Ziehl-Neelsen stain
The Ziehl-Neelsen (hot) method uses heat to facilitate penetration of carbol fuchsin into mycobacterial waxy cell walls.
Question 5: A newborn has a total bilirubin of 22 mg/dL at 36 hours of life. Which test is MOST important to order immediately?
- Indirect Coombs test
- Direct antiglobulin test (DAT) (Correct answer)
- Liver function panel
- Reticulocyte count
Correct answer: Direct antiglobulin test (DAT)
A DAT on cord or neonatal blood detects maternal IgG antibodies coating fetal RBCs, determining if hemolytic disease of the newborn is present.
Question 6: Which finding on urinalysis is pathognomonic for acute tubular necrosis?
- Waxy casts
- Muddy brown granular casts (Correct answer)
- RBC casts
- WBC casts
Correct answer: Muddy brown granular casts
Muddy brown (coarsely granular) casts composed of renal tubular epithelial cell debris are pathognomonic for acute tubular necrosis.
Question 7: The Westgard 1-3s rule is violated when a single control value exceeds which limit?
- ±1 standard deviation from the mean
- ±2 standard deviations from the mean
- ±3 standard deviations from the mean (Correct answer)
- ±4 standard deviations from the mean
Correct answer: ±3 standard deviations from the mean
The 1-3s rule is a rejection rule triggered when any single QC value falls outside ±3 standard deviations from the established mean.
Medical Technologist Test Analyzing Medical Technologist 5
Which method is the REFERENCE STANDARD for blood glucose measurement?