Question

21. The humongous fungus Armillaria gallica gives rise to honey mushrooms. Like other fungi,Armillaria sprouts tiny threads underground; but unlike most fungi, these threads fuse to form shoelace-size strings that extend great distances to consume dead or weak wood. It can weigh 440 TONS. It’s Fungal filaments associate with the root systems of trees slowly killing them. It is an example of .... a. molds. c. chitin. b. saprophytes. d. mycorrhizae. (please explain the answer)

22. Which of the following situations does NOT demonstrate the importance of a healthy micro biome? a. Anthony suffers from debilitating diarrhea after a lengthy course of antibiotics to treat his MRSA infection. b. Jenna is prone to yeast infections, so she routinely eats yogurt and takes a probiotic supplement to increase the amount of lactic acid bacteria in her vagina. c. Mary suffers from colon cancer. While being treated, she develops an opportunistic Bacteroides fragilis infection. d. none of above (could you please explain why the answer is not d?and what is the real answer to the question) Thank you very much!!!

Answer 1

1. option c . Armillaria gallica is an opportunistic parasite and a saprophyte that lives on the roots of trees. They lead to decompositon of the organic material in forests and behave as a pathogen under conditions that are favorable for them.

2. option c.

Diarrhea caused due to the treatment of antibiotics normally stops within 72 hours after the consumption of antibiotics ends. Since the person is suffering from excessive diarrhea it shows that his gut microbiota is not functioning properly.

In option b the girl is taking probiotics which helps in maintaining pH of the vaginal microbiome which in turn reduces the chances of vaginal infections thus, highlighting the importance of vaginal micro biome.

Bacteriods fragilis is a resident of colon and causes disease only when it is released into blood stream due to any puncture or physical injury to the colon. This situation does not explain importance of gut micro biome. Thus, it is the correct option.