This activity uses JavaScript - a feature included in most recent web browsers. If the activity doesn't work then you should check that this feature hasn't been switched off or disabled. Check your browser's help files for more information on this.

1. Which of the following differentiates viruses from bacteria?

a. viruses need cells in order to replicate, bacteria do not
b. viruses tend to be much bigger than bacteria
c. viruses attack vital organs whereas bacteria primarily infect the bloodstream

2. Which of the following is NOT caused by a virus?

a. Chicken pox
b. BSE / CJD
c. AIDS

3. In what year was smallpox officially eradicated?

a. 1967
b. 1977
c. 1987

4. When were the first cases of HIV reported?

a. 1981
b. 1983
c. 1985

5. Who starred in the killer-virus movie Outbreak?

a. Dustin Hoffman
b. Tom Cruise
c. Richard Gere

6. Why can't you treat a virus with antibiotics?

a. because by the time the virus becomes apparent, it's too late for the antibiotics to be effective
b. because antibiotics only work on bacterial infections
c. because antibiotics are generally not strong enough

7. What is a "nosocomial" infection?

a. a secondary infection that develops after the main illness has become severe
b. an infection that has not yet been precisely identified
c. an infection that has been spread within a health-care situation, e.g. hospital

8. Why is "Marburg" virus so-called?

a. because it is thought to have come from the Marburg species of monkey
b. because it was identified in the German town of Marburg
c. because it was named after the Nobel Prizewinner, Auguste Marburg

9. What condition is caused by Hepatitis?

a. inflammation of the kidneys
b. inflammation of the lungs
c. inflammation of the liver

10. Who discovered the technique of vaccination?

a. James Young Simpson
b. Joseph Lister
c. Edward Jenner

back to top

Content last updated: 04/03/2005

Comments