Diseases and immunity — IGCSE Biology (0610) questions by topic
Diseases and immunity questions identify what stimulates an immune response during vaccination, count indirect transmission methods from a listed set of pathogen routes, sequence the events of cholera infection from bacterial toxin to water loss into the intestine, and interpret a diagram of an immune mechanism acting on a pathogen.
Identify, state, describe, calculate and explain span 1 to 17 marks across 47 real questions from 2023 to 2025 papers. Because sequencing the cholera mechanism rewards getting cause before effect, submitting an ordered answer for instant marking flags exactly which step, such as chloride movement before or after water loss, has been placed wrongly.
May–June 2025, Paper 11
Which type of pathogen transmission is by direct contact? A contaminated air B contaminated blood C contaminated food D contaminated surfaces
Answer this question and get it marked →Which statement applies to antibiotics? A They kill bacteria. B They kill viruses. C They are produced by platelets. D They are produced by white blood cells.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 12
How can the spread of disease be prevented? A leaving food uncovered B only washing hands after meals C using the same equipment to prepare raw and cooked food D washing hands…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 21
The diagram shows what happens in the body during active immunity. A flow chart reads: pathogens enter the body - W are detected - lymphocytes become active, which then branches…
Answer this question and get it marked →Cholera is a disease caused by a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae which produces a toxin in the infected person's gut. What is the effect of this toxin? A The toxin causes loss of…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 22
Three statements about immunity are listed. 1 The transfer of antibodies from mother to baby in breast milk is an example of passive immunity. 2 Passive immunity results in…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 23
Which row shows the effects of cholera on the human body? movement of chloride ions effect of a build-up of chloride ions on water potential effect on volume of water leaving the…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 32
Pathogens are disease-causing organisms. Describe how gastric juice in the stomach helps to defend the body against pathogens in food.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 31
Symptoms of the disease influenza may include sneezing. Fig. 4.1 shows a sign at a hospital reading 'Always wash hands after sneezing'. Explain why washing your hands after…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 41
Polio is a viral disease that can cause nerve damage in humans. In one area, polio vaccination began in 1957. Fig. 6.1 shows the number of cases of polio in this area between 1950…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 11
Some methods of transmitting pathogens are listed: 1 drinking contaminated water; 2 contact with another person's blood; 3 contact with another person's saliva; 4 touching…
Answer this question and get it marked →What is treated with antibiotics? A a bacterial infection B rickets C scurvy D a viral infection
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 12
Some ways that diseases can be transmitted are listed: 1 airborne droplets; 2 blood and needles; 3 food and drink; 4 unprotected sex. Which ways can transmit HIV? A 1 and 3 B 1…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 13
When a pathogen enters the blood, the number of white blood cells increases. Some possible reasons why this happens are listed. 1 It increases the number of antibodies. 2 It…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 21
Which statement about immunity is correct? A Antibodies are present on the surface of pathogens. B Antibodies are produced by lymphocytes. C Antigens are produced by memory cells.…
Answer this question and get it marked →The table shows the number of new HIV infections in 1990 and 2021 in one country: 1990 = 8800; 2021 = 830. Which statement could explain the change in the number of new HIV…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 22
Which features of the human body protect against pathogens in food? (columns: red blood cells; stomach acid; white blood cells) A yes; yes; no B yes; no; no C no; yes; yes D no;…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 23
During the process of vaccination, what stimulates an immune response? A antibodies B antigens C lymphocytes D phagocytes
Answer this question and get it marked →Which statement about antibiotics is correct? A Antibiotics are produced by memory cells. B Antibiotics are used to treat rickets. C Antibiotics are used to treat viral…
Answer this question and get it marked →By which route would an HIV infection not be transmissible? A blood B saliva C sharing needles for injections D semen
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 33
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) is an infection transmitted through sexual contact. Table 6.1 shows some STIs and the type of pathogen that causes the infection: chlamydia…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 41
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that is caused by a bacterium. Fig. 2.1 shows the number of chlamydia cases in a country in 2018 as a bar chart of cases per…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 43
HIV can be transmitted from mother to infant. Describe how the risk of a mother transmitting HIV to their infant can be reduced.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 11
What is an example of good personal hygiene in the kitchen? A cooking food at a high temperature B disposing of waste food in sealed containers C storing uncooked meat in a fridge…
Answer this question and get it marked →Which statements about antibiotics are correct? 1 Antibiotics can be used to treat bacterial infections. 2 Antibiotics can be used to treat viral infections. 3 Antibiotics are not…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 12
The table shows which antibiotics are effective against different types of bacteria; the shaded areas show the antibiotic is effective against that type of bacteria. The columns…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 13
Which type of organism causes AIDS? A bacterium B fungus C myriapod D virus
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 21
The cholera bacterium toxin causes dehydration and loss of salts from the blood in humans. Which statement explains the reason for this? A Chloride ions are secreted into the…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 22
Cholera bacteria in the gut cause secretion of chloride ions which leads to diarrhoea. Each option A–D is a diagram showing the movement of chloride ions (Cl⁻) and water (H₂O)…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 23
When a person is given a vaccine, a harmless pathogen is injected. The pathogen has ...1... which cause lymphocytes to produce ...2... . This is an example of ...3... immunity.…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 42
Antibiotic resistance is an increasing problem worldwide. Erythromycin is an antibiotic. Fig. 3.1 shows the daily doses of erythromycin per 1000 people over a 13-year period…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 11
Which type of cells produce antibodies? A ciliated cells B platelets C red blood cells D white blood cells
Answer this question and get it marked →What is an example of a transmissible disease? A coronary heart disease caused by eating a high fat diet B AIDS C liver disease caused by excessive alcohol consumption D scurvy
Answer this question and get it marked →Which diseases can be successfully treated with antibiotics? Columns: diseases caused by bacteria; rickets; diseases caused by viruses (key: ✓ = can be treated, blank = cannot be…
Answer this question and get it marked →What can be used to reduce the transmission of HIV? Columns: face masks; screening blood donors; sterile needles for drug users; washing hands (key: ✓ = can be used to reduce…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 12
Which statement describes a transmissible disease? A a disease caused when a pathogen passes from one host to another B a disease caused when a pathogen passes through a host's…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 13
What are disease-causing organisms? A antibodies B pathogens C phagocytes D vaccines
Answer this question and get it marked →Which statement about antibiotics is correct? A Antibiotics are drugs. B Antibiotics are produced by white blood cells. C Antibiotics can become resistant to bacteria. D…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 21
What is the role of lymphocytes in the blood? A antibody production B blood clotting C phagocytosis D oxygen transport
Answer this question and get it marked →A patient was injected with antibodies after being bitten by a poisonous snake. The patient recovered and survived. What describes the effect of the injection in the patient's…
Answer this question and get it marked →Which diseases can be successfully treated with antibiotics? Columns: diseases caused by bacteria; rickets; diseases caused by viruses (key: ✓ = can be treated, blank = cannot be…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 22
When a pathogen enters the blood, the immune system uses different mechanisms to destroy the pathogen. The diagram shows one of these mechanisms, with structures X and Y and a…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 23
Cholera infection can cause the following events. 1 Cells lining the small intestine secrete chloride ions. 2 Cholera bacteria produce a toxin. 3 Chloride ions move into the small…
Answer this question and get it marked →Which statement about antibiotics is correct? A Antibiotics are drugs. B Antibiotics are produced by white blood cells. C Antibiotics can become resistant to bacteria. D…
Answer this question and get it marked →The graph shows the number of cases of disease caused by MRSA bacteria in hospitals in one city between 1998 and 2010 (number of cases against year). What was the percentage…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 31
Fig. 4.1 is a photograph of part of a kitchen. Describe methods of maintaining hygiene in the home that reduce the spread of disease.
Answer this question and get it marked →HIV infection can lead to AIDS. State the words that the letters HIV represent.
Answer this question and get it marked →Other IGCSE Biology topics
- Organisms and their environment (126)
- Human nutrition (95)
- Characteristics and classification of living organisms (84)
- Coordination and response (83)
- Reproduction (82)
- Inheritance (74)
- Organisation of the organism (cells) (64)
- Plant nutrition (62)
- Transport in animals (62)
- Transport in plants (59)
- Movement into and out of cells (57)
- Variation and selection (50)