Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Rationale: 1. Rickettsiae are obligate intracellular bacteria, hence they do not form spores, capsules, or flagella. 2. They have a slim glycocalyx layer, aiding in attachment to host cells. 3. Bipolar fimbriae are structures that help in adhesion to host cells. Therefore, all statements (A, B, and C) are true for Rickettsiae, making option D the correct answer. Other choices are incorrect as they do not accurately describe the characteristics of Rickettsiae.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Step-by-step rationale for why A is correct: 1. Clostridium tetani is known to produce tetanus toxin. 2. The tetanus toxin causes muscle rigidity and spasms characteristic of tetanus. 3. Clostridium perfringens is associated with gas gangrene, not tetanus. 4. Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes gonorrhea, not tetanus. 5. Bacillus anthracis causes anthrax, not tetanus. In summary, Clostridium tetani is the correct answer as it is specifically associated with causing tetanus, while the other choices are associated with different diseases.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Bordetella pertussis. Glossy smooth colonies growing on casein-charcoal agar resembling mercury drops indicate Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough. The presence of short Gram-negative bacteria further supports this identification. Option B, Haemophilus influenzae, typically grows as small, round, translucent colonies on chocolate agar. Option C, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, forms gray colonies on tellurite agar. Option D, Klebsiella pneumoniae, appears as mucoid colonies on MacConkey agar.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Transduction is the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells with the help of a phage (virus). This process involves a phage infecting a bacterial cell, replicating inside it, and then transferring bacterial DNA along with phage DNA to another bacterial cell. This is different from transformation (choice A) which involves the uptake of naked DNA by a bacterial cell and plasmid transfer (choice C) which involves the transfer of small, circular DNA molecules. Therefore, the correct answer is B because it specifically describes the process of transduction in bacteria, while choices A and C describe different mechanisms of genetic transfer.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Rationale: 1. Enteropathogenic E.coli (EPEC) adheres to the intestinal wall using bundle-forming pili. 2. EPEC produces toxins that disrupt cell structure and function, leading to diarrhea. 3. Shigella spp. invade intestinal cells, Salmonella spp. invade and multiply within cells, and Vibrio cholerae produces cholera toxin causing profuse watery diarrhea. Summary: A, C, and D choices are incorrect because they do not specifically adhere to the intestine wall and produce toxins like EPEC does.