Vaccines Practice Questions

Question 1

A 34-year-old female medical professional who works for a non-governmental organization visits her primary care provider for a routine health check-up. She made a recent trip to Sub-Saharan Africa where she participated in a humanitarian medical project. Her medical history and physical examination are unremarkable. A chest radiograph and a tuberculin skin test (PPD) are ordered. The chest radiograph is performed at the side and the PPD reaction measures 12 mm after 72 hours. Which of the following mechanisms is involved in the skin test reaction?

Accepted Answer

Th1-mediated delayed-type hypersensitivity

Answer

Complement activation

Answer

Formation of immune complexes

Answer

IgE cross-linking

Question 2

A research team develops a new monoclonal antibody checkpoint inhibitor for advanced melanoma that has shown promise in animal studies as well as high efficacy and low toxicity in early phase human clinical trials. The research team would now like to compare this drug to existing standard of care immunotherapy for advanced melanoma. The research team decides to conduct a non-randomized study where the novel drug will be offered to patients who are deemed to be at risk for toxicity with the current standard of care immunotherapy, while patients without such risk factors will receive the standard treatment. Which of the following best describes the level of evidence that this study can offer?

Accepted Answer

Level 3

Answer

Level 1

Answer

Level 5

Answer

Level 4

Answer

Level 2

Question 3

A 40-year-old pregnant woman, G4 P3, visits your office at week 30 of gestation. She is very excited about her pregnancy and wants to be the healthiest she can be in preparation for labor and for her baby. What vaccination should she receive at this visit?

Accepted Answer

Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap)

Answer

Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)

Answer

Varicella vaccine

Answer

Herpes zoster vaccine

Answer

Live attenuated influenza vaccine

Question 4

A 21-year-old woman is diagnosed with a rare subtype of anti-NMDA encephalitis. During the diagnostic workup, she was found to have an ovarian teratoma. Her physician is curious about the association between anti-NMDA encephalitis and ovarian teratomas. A causal relationship between this subtype of anti-NMDA encephalitis and ovarian teratomas is suspected. The physician aims to identify patients with anti-NMDA encephalitis and subsequently evaluate them for the presence of ovarian teratomas. Which type of study design would be the most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Retrospective cohort study

Answer

Case-control study

Answer

Cross-sectional study

Answer

Case series

Answer

Randomized controlled trial

Question 5

A 12-month-old girl is brought to her pediatrician for a checkup and vaccines. The patient’s mother wants to send her to daycare but is worried about exposure to unvaccinated children and other potential sources of infection. The toddler was born at 39 weeks gestation via spontaneous vaginal delivery. She is up to date on all vaccines. She does not walk yet but stands in place and can say a few words. The toddler drinks formula and eats a mixture of soft vegetables and pureed meals. She has no current medications. On physical exam, the vital signs include: temperature 37.0°C (98.6°F), blood pressure 95/50 mm Hg, pulse 130/min, and respiratory rate 28/min. The patient is alert and responsive. The remainder of the exam is unremarkable. Which of the following is most appropriate for this patient at this visit?

Accepted Answer

MMR vaccine

Answer

Meningococcal vaccine

Answer

Gross motor workup and evaluation

Answer

Rotavirus vaccine

Answer

Referral for speech pathology

Question 6

A young man about to leave for his freshman year of college visits his physician in order to ensure that his immunizations are up-to-date. Because he is living in a college dormitory, his physician gives him a vaccine that prevents meningococcal disease. What type of vaccine did this patient likely receive?

Accepted Answer

Conjugated polysaccharide

Answer

Live, attenuated

Answer

Killed, attenuated

Answer

Toxoid

Answer

Killed, inactivated

Question 7

A 27-year-old man presents to the family medicine clinic for a routine check-up. The patient recently accepted a new job at a childcare center and the employer is requesting his vaccination history. After checking the records from the patient’s childhood, the physician realizes that the patient never had the varicella vaccine. The patient is unsure if he had chickenpox as a child, and there is no record of him having had the disease in the medical record. There is no significant medical history, and the patient takes no current medications. The patient’s heart rate is 82/min, respiratory rate is 14/min, temperature is 37.5°C (99.5°F), and blood pressure is 120/72 mm Hg. The patient appears alert and oriented. Auscultation of the heart reveals no murmurs, rubs, or gallops. The lungs are clear to auscultation bilaterally. With regard to the varicella vaccine, which of the following is recommended for the patient at this time?

Accepted Answer

Two doses of vaccine

Answer

One dose of the vaccine

Answer

Wait until patient turns 50

Answer

Serology then administer the vaccine (2 doses)

Answer

Serology then administer the vaccine (1 dose)

Question 8

A 15-month-old girl is brought to her primary care physician for a follow-up visit to receive the 4th dose of her DTaP vaccine. She is up-to-date on her vaccinations. She received her 1st dose of MMR, 1st dose of varicella, 3rd dose of HiB, 4th dose of PCV13, and 3rd dose of polio vaccine 3 months ago. Thirteen days after receiving these vaccinations, the child developed a fever up to 40.5°C (104.9°F) and had one generalized seizure that lasted for 2 minutes. She was taken to the emergency department. The girl was sent home after workup for the seizure was unremarkable and her temperature subsided with acetaminophen therapy. She has not had any other symptoms since then. She has no history of serious illness and takes no medications. Her mother is concerned about receiving further vaccinations because she is afraid of the girl having more seizures. Her vital signs are within normal limits. Examination shows no abnormalities. Which of the following is the most appropriate recommendation at this time?

Accepted Answer

Administration of the DTaP vaccine as scheduled

Answer

Administration of the DTaP vaccine with valproic acid

Answer

Administration of a reduced-dose DTaP vaccine

Answer

Refrain from administration of the DTaP vaccine

Answer

Administration of the DTaP vaccine with prophylactic aspirin

Question 9

A parent presents to her pediatrician requesting information about immunizations for her newborn. The pediatrician explains about basic principles of immunization, types of vaccines, possible adverse effects, and the immunization schedule. Regarding how immunizations work, the pediatrician explains that there are mainly 2 types of vaccines. The first type of vaccine provides stronger and more lasting immunity as it induces both cellular and humoral immune responses. The second type of vaccine produces mainly a humoral response only, and its overall efficacy is less as compared to the first type. Which of the following vaccines belongs to the first type of vaccine that the pediatrician is talking about?

Accepted Answer

Yellow fever vaccine

Answer

Hepatitis A vaccine

Answer

Polio vaccine (Salk)

Answer

Rabies vaccine

Answer

Hepatitis B vaccine

Question 10

A 13-month-old girl is brought to the physician because of a pruritic rash for 2 days. The girl's mother says she noticed a few isolated skin lesions on her trunk two days ago that appear to be itching. The girl received her routine immunizations 18 days ago. Her mother has been giving her ibuprofen for her symptoms. The patient has no known sick contacts. She is at the 71st percentile for height and the 64th percentile for weight. She is in no acute distress. Her temperature is 38.1°C (100.6°F), pulse is 120/min, and respirations are 26/min. Examination shows a few maculopapular and pustular lesions distributed over the face and trunk. There are some excoriation marks and crusted lesions as well. Which of the following is the most likely explanation for these findings?

Accepted Answer

Replication of the attenuated vaccine strain

Answer

Antigen contact with presensitized T-lymphocytes

Answer

Reactivation of virus dormant in dorsal root ganglion

Answer

Immune complex formation and deposition

Answer

Crosslinking of preformed IgE antibodies

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