SAVC Registration Examination · South Africa · South African Veterinary Council
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersInnate and adaptive immunity, antibodies and complement, hypersensitivity, vaccines and the cold chain, and the serological tests used in diagnosis and surveillance.
In the exams: ICAR AICE-JRF core group 06; ICAR AIEEA-PG 13 (Microbiology); NAVLE health maintenance and prevention 35%
How our questions for SAVC Registration Examination spread across the units of Veterinary Immunology & Serology. Difficulty: 12 easy, 9 medium, 0 hard.
| Adaptive immunity | 2 | |
| Immunoglobulins | 2 | |
| Vaccine types | 2 | |
| The vaccine cold chain | 2 | |
| Serological tests: ELISA and agglutination | 2 | |
| Serological tests: CFT, AGID and virus neutralisation | 2 | |
| Immunopathology | 2 | |
| Innate immunity | 1 | |
| Antigens and antibodies | 1 | |
| Complement | 1 | |
| The major histocompatibility complex | 1 | |
| Hypersensitivity | 1 | |
| Adjuvants | 1 | |
| Colostral immunity | 1 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
Which transcription factor identifies regulatory T cells?
D. FoxP3
FoxP3 defines regulatory T cells. T-bet drives Th1, GATA-3 Th2 and RORγt Th17 differentiation; students often confuse the lineage-defining factors.
Further reading: Tizard IR, Veterinary Immunology, 10th ed.
The overall binding strength of a multivalent antibody to a multivalent antigen is called:
A. Avidity
Avidity is the total strength of multivalent binding; affinity is the strength of a single binding site for a single epitope. Pentameric IgM has modest affinity but high avidity.
Further reading: Tizard IR, Veterinary Immunology, 10th ed.
Purpura haemorrhagica in horses following Streptococcus equi infection is classified as a:
A. Type III (immune complex) hypersensitivity
Purpura haemorrhagica is an immune-complex vasculitis involving streptococcal M protein and antibody deposited in vessel walls. It is not IgE-mediated and not primarily an antiplatelet reaction.
Further reading: Tizard IR, Veterinary Immunology, 10th ed.
In a vaccine trial, the attack rate was 40% in unvaccinated calves and 8% in vaccinated calves. Vaccine efficacy is:
A. 80%
Efficacy = (ARU − ARV) ÷ ARU = (0.40 − 0.08) ÷ 0.40 = 0.80 = 80%. 32% is the absolute difference in percentage points, not efficacy; 20% is ARV ÷ ARU; '5-fold' is the relative risk inverted, not efficacy.
Further reading: Thrusfield M et al., Veterinary Epidemiology, 4th ed.
Why should ice packs be 'conditioned' before packing freeze-sensitive vaccines in a cold box?
C. Packs straight from the freezer are well below 0 °C and can freeze vaccine touching them
Conditioning means leaving frozen packs until the ice begins to melt and moves inside, so the pack is near 0 °C and will not freeze vaccines. It warms rather than cools the pack slightly.
Further reading: WHO guidance on vaccine temperature sensitivity and the Shake Test
Bovine leucocyte adhesion deficiency (BLAD) in Holstein cattle is due to a defect in:
C. CD18 (β2 integrin)
The CD18 defect stops neutrophils adhering to endothelium and leaving blood, so calves show persistent marked neutrophilia yet recurrent infections.
Further reading: Tizard IR, Veterinary Immunology, 10th ed.
Ten here, 21 in the app. The Laisha app has every practice question we have written to SAVC Registration Examination in this subject, marked as you go, with timed papers, a jump-to-unanswered list and a certificate when you pass at 70 per cent.
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