Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Neisseria meningitidis. This bacterium fits the description of Gram-negative diplococci that are oxidase-positive and fermentative. Neisseria meningitidis commonly causes pneumonia and meningitis. Choice B: Neisseria gonorrhoeae is also a Gram-negative diplococci but is not fermentative. Choice C: Moraxella catarrhalis is oxidase-positive but not fermentative. Choice D: Haemophilus influenzae is not fermentative and typically appears as pleomorphic rods, not diplococci.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B, Antony van Leeuwenhoek. He was the first to observe and describe "animalcules" (microorganisms) through his early microscopes. Robert Hooke (A) is known for his work with cells but did not discover animalcules. Hans Janssen (C) and John Needham (D) did not make significant contributions to the discovery of microorganisms. Leeuwenhoek's pioneering observations were crucial in the development of microbiology.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Sandfly. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is transmitted by the bite of infected sandflies. These tiny insects are known vectors for Leishmania parasites. Sandflies are active during dusk and night, feeding on blood from mammals, including humans. Tick (B), mosquito (C), and tsetse fly (D) are not vectors for Leishmania parasites. Ticks transmit diseases like Lyme disease, mosquitoes transmit diseases like malaria, and tsetse flies transmit African trypanosomiasis. Therefore, the correct vector for cutaneous leishmaniasis is the sandfly due to its specific role in transmitting the Leishmania parasite.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Clostridium perfringens. This bacterium is Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic, and produces gas. Clostridium perfringens is commonly associated with wound infections due to its ability to produce gas gangrene. Choice B: Bacillus anthracis is also a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium, but it does not typically produce gas in wound infections. Choice C: Clostridium botulinum is a spore-forming, anaerobic bacterium, but it is associated with foodborne botulism rather than wound infections. Choice D: Clostridium tetani is a spore-forming, anaerobic bacterium that causes tetanus, but it does not produce gas in wound infections.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: cytopathic effect. When viruses infect cell cultures, they induce degenerative changes known as cytopathic effects, which include cell shrinkage, rounding, detachment, and cell death. This term specifically refers to the damage caused by viral replication within the cells. A: Cytolytic effect refers to the destruction of cells by viruses, which is a more specific type of cytopathic effect involving cell lysis. C: Cytotoxic effect typically refers to the toxic effects of substances on cells, not specifically related to viral propagation. D: The statement that all three answers are correct is incorrect as only option B accurately describes the degenerative changes resulting from viral propagation in infected cell cultures.