Question

You are sick with a sore throat and fever. Your doctor does a throat swab and makes a microscope slide. Under the microscope, they find long chains of spherical cells that lack membrane bound organelles. Do you have a viral or bacterial or fungal infection? How do you know? a You have a viral infection, as viruses form long cellular chains unique to your cells. b You have a bacterial infection, as bacteria are simple prokaryotic cells - and you are not. c You have a fungal infection, as fungi are simple prokaryotic cells - as are you. d Impossible to determine from the information supplied.

Answer 1

The correct answer is b: You have a bacterial infection, as bacteria are simple prokaryotic cells - and you are not.

Here's the reasoning: The description of "long chains of spherical cells" is characteristic of certain types of bacteria, specifically cocci that can form chains (e.g., Streptococcus). These cells are prokaryotic, meaning they lack membrane-bound organelles. In contrast, viruses are not cellular and do not have the structure of cells, and fungal cells are eukaryotic, which means they contain membrane-bound organelles. The presence of long chains of spherical cells indicates a bacterial infection rather than a viral or fungal one.