Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D: Shigella dysenteriae I. This bacterium is known to produce Shiga toxin, which is responsible for the most severe bacillary infections. The toxin can cause bloody diarrhea and potentially life-threatening complications like hemolytic uremic syndrome. Shigella boydii, flexneri, and sonnei, while also causing bacillary dysentery, do not produce the same level of severity as Shigella dysenteriae I due to the absence of Shiga toxin.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Rationale: 1. Candida is a fungus commonly isolated from clinical specimens. 2. Sabouraud agar is the most suitable medium for Candida due to its low pH and high dextrose content. 3. Low pH inhibits bacterial growth, while dextrose promotes fungal growth. 4. Zeisler media, Chocolate agar, and Muller-Hinton agar are not specific for fungal isolation. Summary: - Zeisler media is used for anaerobic bacteria. - Chocolate agar is used for fastidious organisms like Haemophilus. - Muller-Hinton agar is for antibiotic susceptibility testing, not fungal isolation.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D: commensalism. In commensalism, one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed. In this relationship, the waste product of one organism serves as a nutrient source for another without affecting the first organism. Mutualism (A) involves both organisms benefiting, competition (B) involves a struggle for resources, and synergism (C) involves cooperative interactions. Commensalism is the only choice where one organism benefits from the waste product of another without any impact on the producer.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C: Thick peptidoglycan layer. Gram-positive bacteria have a thick peptidoglycan layer in their cell wall, which retains the crystal violet stain in the Gram staining process, leading to a purple color. This thick layer is a defining characteristic of Gram-positive bacteria. Rationale: A: Thin peptidoglycan layer is incorrect because Gram-positive bacteria have a thick peptidoglycan layer. B: Presence of an outer membrane is incorrect because Gram-positive bacteria lack an outer membrane. D: Presence of lipopolysaccharides is incorrect because lipopolysaccharides are typically found in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, not Gram-positive bacteria.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: Cholera. Cholera is caused by Gram-negative curved rod-like bacteria called Vibrio cholerae, commonly found in contaminated water or food. The characteristic symptom of cholera is profuse watery diarrhea, which matches the patient's presentation. Typhoid fever (A) is caused by Salmonella typhi, which is not a curved rod-like bacteria. Diphtheria (C) is caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a Gram-positive bacterium, and does not typically cause diarrhea. Intestinal form of plague (D) is caused by Yersinia pestis, which is not a curved rod-like bacteria and does not typically present with diarrhea.