Q.96 Match the disorders/diseases listed in Column I to their respective causative agents listed in
Column II.
Column I                                                  Column II
I) African tick bite fever                         i) Trypanosoma gambiense
II) Yellow fever                                        ii) Zika virus
III) Microcephaly                                    iii) Rickettsia sp.
IV) Sleeping sickness                              iv) Flavivirus
(A) I–iv, II–iii, III–ii, IV–i                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                (B) I–iii, II–iv, III–ii, IV–i
(C) I–iii, II–iv, III–i, IV–ii
(D) I–iii, II–i, III–iv, IV–ii

The correct answer is (B) I-iii, II-iv, III-ii, IV-i. African tick bite fever results from Rickettsia bacteria transmitted by ticks, yellow fever from a flavivirus via mosquitoes, microcephaly links strongly to Zika virus in congenital cases, and sleeping sickness to Trypanosoma gambiense parasite via tsetse flies.​

Disease-Causative Agent Matches

African tick bite fever (I) matches Rickettsia sp. (iii), a spotted fever group bacterium like Rickettsia africae carried by Amblyomma ticks in sub-Saharan Africa.​
Yellow fever (II) matches Flavivirus (iv), specifically yellow fever virus, an enveloped RNA virus spread by Aedes mosquitoes.​
Microcephaly (III) matches Zika virus (ii), a flavivirus causing congenital brain defects including reduced head size when mothers are infected during pregnancy.​
Sleeping sickness (IV) matches Trypanosoma gambiense (i), a protozoan parasite responsible for the chronic West African form, transmitted by tsetse flies.​

Option Analysis

Option (A) I-iv, II-iii, III-ii, IV-i fails as African tick bite fever links to bacteria (iii), not flavivirus (iv), and yellow fever to flavivirus (iv), not Rickettsia (iii).​
Option (B) I-iii, II-iv, III-ii, IV-i succeeds by correctly pairing each disease with its established agent across bacterial, viral, and parasitic categories.​
Option (C) I-iii, II-iv, III-i, IV-ii errs by assigning Trypanosoma gambiense (i) to microcephaly and Zika (ii) to sleeping sickness, inverting unrelated agents.​
Option (D) I-iii, II-i, III-iv, IV-ii mismatches yellow fever with Trypanosoma (i) instead of flavivirus (iv) and microcephaly with flavivirus (iv) broadly rather than Zika specifically.​

Introduction to Key Diseases and Agents

In CSIR NET Life Sciences preparation, matching diseases like African tick bite fever, yellow fever, microcephaly, and sleeping sickness to their causative agents—Rickettsia sp., Flavivirus, Zika virus, Trypanosoma gambiense—tests microbiology and infectious disease knowledge. These vector-borne illnesses highlight bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens relevant to epidemiology and pathogenesis.​

Detailed Pathogen Profiles

• African Tick Bite Fever: Caused by Rickettsia africae (Rickettsia sp.), transmitted by Amblyomma ticks; symptoms include fever, eschar at bite site.​

• Yellow Fever: Flavivirus (yellow fever virus) from Aedes mosquitoes; leads to hemorrhagic fever, jaundice in severe cases.​

• Microcephaly: Associated with Zika virus (flavivirus), causing fetal brain malformation via neural progenitor cell infection during pregnancy.​

• Sleeping Sickness: Trypanosoma gambiense (West African form); tsetse fly vector invades CNS, disrupting sleep cycles.​

Exam Relevance for CSIR NET

This matching question emphasizes precise agent-disease links, crucial for competitive exams covering vector biology, virology, and parasitology in Life Sciences syllabus units on biomedicine.​