Practice Test Geeks(SM) Specialist in Microbiology Practice Test
← All SM Flashcard Decks

SM Antimicrobial Resistance & Stewardship Flashcards

6 cards from real SM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 SM Antimicrobial Resistance & Stewardship flashcards as text

  1. Which mechanism does Staphylococcus aureus use to confer resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics including methicillin?

    Answer: Expression of altered penicillin-binding protein PBP2a encoded by mecA

    MRSA expresses PBP2a, encoded by the mecA gene, which has low affinity for beta-lactam antibiotics, allowing cell wall synthesis to continue.

  2. Which phenotypic test is used in clinical microbiology labs to screen for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production in Enterobacteriaceae?

    Answer: Double-disk synergy test using clavulanate and cephalosporins

    The double-disk synergy test detects ESBL production by demonstrating enhanced inhibition when a cephalosporin disk is placed near an amoxicillin-clavulanate disk.

  3. A Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate tests resistant to all carbapenems and is positive on the carbapenem inactivation method (CIM). Which resistance mechanism is most likely?

    Answer: KPC (Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase) production

    KPC is the most common carbapenemase in Klebsiella pneumoniae in the US, and isolates are CIM-positive due to its serine-based hydrolytic activity.

  4. According to antimicrobial stewardship principles, which intervention most effectively reduces unnecessary broad-spectrum antibiotic use?

    Answer: Prospective audit and feedback by infectious disease-trained pharmacists

    Prospective audit and feedback by ID pharmacists is considered a core element of stewardship, directly targeting individual prescriptions with evidence-based recommendations.

  5. Which of the following correctly describes horizontal gene transfer of resistance genes via conjugation?

    Answer: Direct cell-to-cell transfer of plasmids through a pilus

    Conjugation involves direct cell-to-cell contact via a pilus, allowing plasmid DNA carrying resistance genes to transfer between bacteria of the same or different species.

  6. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of an antibiotic is best defined as:

    Answer: The lowest concentration that visibly inhibits bacterial growth

    The MIC is the lowest concentration of an antibiotic that visibly inhibits growth of a microorganism after overnight incubation.

How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy

Sources & references

Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy

  1. ascp.org — Score validity, test dates, retake policy, test delivery, exam format, passing score, score release, exam information · verified Oct 2026