Parasitology: practice question

A Microbiology question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Microbiology · Parasitology

Sample item

A patient on prolonged high-dose corticosteroids develops larvae in sputum and Gram-negative bacteraemia. Which nematode can multiply in the host through autoinfection and cause this hyperinfection?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Strongyloides stercoralis

Strongyloides rhabditiform larvae can transform into infective filariform larvae within the gut and reinvade, sustaining infection for years. Immunosuppression, especially steroids, allows massive hyperinfection and dissemination carrying enteric bacteria.

Option by option

  • A. Trichuris trichiura

    Trichuris does not replicate in the host and causes no hyperinfection syndrome.

  • B. Ancylostoma duodenale

    Hookworm larvae must mature outside the host, so it lacks autoinfection.

  • C. Strongyloides stercoralis (correct)

    Internal autoinfection lets the worm burden expand in immunosuppressed hosts.

  • D. Ascaris lumbricoides

    Ascaris does not multiply in the human host and has no autoinfection cycle.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Microbiology question

What is the answer to this Microbiology question?

The best answer is C, Strongyloides stercoralis. Strongyloides rhabditiform larvae can transform into infective filariform larvae within the gut and reinvade, sustaining infection for years.

Why is "Trichuris trichiura" not the answer?

Trichuris does not replicate in the host and causes no hyperinfection syndrome.

Why is "Ancylostoma duodenale" not the answer?

Hookworm larvae must mature outside the host, so it lacks autoinfection.

Why is "Ascaris lumbricoides" not the answer?

Ascaris does not multiply in the human host and has no autoinfection cycle.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Parasitology in Microbiology. Immunosuppression, especially steroids, allows massive hyperinfection and dissemination carrying enteric bacteria.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Parasitology?

Make a one-line identity card for each organism: shape and stain, defining test, toxin, disease and drug. Then use the flashcards and the other Microbiology questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.