Question

The dreaded human disease, syphilis, is caused by?
1. An animal parasite
2. A bacterium
3. Virus
4. Fungus

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : A bacterium

The correct answer is A​ bacterium.

• The dreaded human disease, syphilis, is caused by a bacterium.
• The cause of syphilis is a bacterium called Treponema pallidum.
• It usually spreads by sexual contact that starts as a painless sore.
• Syphilis is only spread through direct contact.
• Syphilis can be challenging to diagnose as a person can go without showing any symptoms for years.
• Penicillin is one of the most widely used antibiotics effective in treating syphilis.
• The best way to prevent syphilis is to practice safe sex.

• Bacteria are single-celled microbes.
  • There is no nucleus or membrane-bound organelles.
  • Their control center containing the genetic information is contained in a single loop of DNA.
• A virus is an infectious particle that reproduces by taking control of a host cell and using it to make more viruses.
  • They can't reproduce by themselves (without a host)
  • Viruses are not considered living.
  • A virus is made up of a DNA or RNA genome inside a protein shell called a capsid.
• Fungi are a group of living organisms that are classified in their own kingdom.
  • Fungi kingdom includes yeasts, rusts, smuts, mildews, molds, and mushrooms.
  • Fungi are eukaryotic.
  • Fungi lack chlorophyll and hence cannot perform photosynthesis.
• A parasite is an organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. 

Characteristic	Prokaryote	Eukaryote
Nucleus	Absent	Present
Membrane-bound organelles	Absent	Present
Cell structure	Unicellular	Mostly multicellular; some unicellular
Cell size	Smaller (0.1-5 μm)	Larger (10-100 μm)
Complexity	Simpler	More complex
DNA Form	Circular	Linear
Examples	Bacteria, archaea	Animals, plants, fungi