Free American Society for Microbiology ABMM Exam Questions

A clinical microbiology laboratory is implementing a new multiplex nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) for the detection of respiratory viral pathogens. To ensure the quantitative accuracy of the assay, it is essential to include:

An acid-fast bacillus isolate recovered from a respiratory specimen after 3 weeks of incubation on LöwensteinJensen medium is initially non-pigmented when grown in the dark. After exposure to light for several hours, the colonies develop a distinct yellow-orange pigment. This organism is classified as a:

A patient develops a vesicular rash on their hands and feet, accompanied by fever and oral ulcers. The MOST likely causative agent is:

A clinical isolate of Klebsiella pneumoniae from a patient with a refractory urinary tract infection exhibits resistance to carbapenems (imipenem, meropenem, ertapenem). PCR analysis reveals the presence of the blaKPC gene. Which of the following enzymatic mechanisms is responsible for this resistance?

A clinical microbiology laboratory is investigating a cluster of Clostridium difficile infections in a hospital. Which of the following methods is MOST appropriate for determining if the isolates from different patients are related?