Infectious disease is a essential part of MRCP exam carrying 15 marks in the exam. Most student usual attain low marks in this section. Infectious disease is the study of a disease or disease-causing organism liable to be transmitted to people, organisms, etc. through the environment. Medicos Library has provided high standard Infectious disease on examination revision materials for medical exams.
- Microbiology
- Taxonomy of bacteria in terms of Gram-straining and aerobic /anaerobic metabolism
- Virus classification for members of the herpes group
- Virus replication with reference to the retroviruses
- Major pathogenic protozoa and helminths
Ex:
-Aerobic or anaerobic bacteria
-Gram-staining characteristics of bacteria - Immunology of infectious diseases
- Immune deficiency states linked with types of opportunistic infections
- Principle of immunisation and vaccines currently used
Ex:
- Opportunistic infections
- Immunisation policy - Pathophysiology
- Septic shock
- ARDS
- Role of cytokines in infection - Epidemiology
-Principles relevant to infectious diseases
Ex:
- Mechanisms of transmission of pathogens
- How epidemics happen
- Knowledge of carrier states, reservoirs, vectors and zoonoses
- Elementary concepts of the control of communicable diseases (including immunisation, isolation, contact tracing, chemoprophylaxis of close contacts)
- Geographical variation in diseases including TB, HIV, Hepatitis B, malaria - Treatment
- Broad indications for commonly employed antimicrobial agents
- Major adverse effects for commonly employed antimicrobial agents
Ex:
- B-lactams
- Tetracyclines
- Macrolides
- Aminoglycosides
- Quinolines
- Trimethoprim
- Metronidazole
- Antituberculous drugs
- Antimalarial drugs
- Antiviral agents
Specific infections
- Characteristics, recognition, prevention, eradication, and pathological effects of all commonly encountered bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, fungi, protozoa, parasites and toxins.
- Principle of infection control
- Differential diagnostic and appropriate investigations
- Presumptive therapies indications
Ex:
- Septicaemia
- Meningitis and encephalitis
- Endocarditis
- Pneumonia (community-acquired, hospital-acquired, lung abscess, empyema)
- Tuberculosis
- PUO (appropriate investigations, when empirical therapy might be indicated)
- Soft-tissue infection and Osteomyelitis
- Streptococcal infection, rheumatic fever, nephritis
- Intra-abdominal sepsis
- Food-poisoning
- Tropical Infections (especially malaria, bilharzias, amoebiasis, filariasis, leishmaniasis, hookworm and viral haemorrhagic fevers)
- Viral hepatitis
- HIV/AIDS (course of typical infection, CD4 count and HIV viral load as markers of progression; main opportunistic infections including Pneumocytis pneumonia, CNS toxoplasmosis, cryptococcal meningitis, tuberculosis)
- Glandular fever syndrome and its differentiation from HIV seroconversion illness
- Spirochaetosis – syphilis, leptospirosis, borrelia
- Toxic shock syndrome and staphylococcal infections
MRCP(UK) develops and delivers postgraduate medical examinations around the world on behalf of the three Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK.
Part 1 at a glance
- one-day examination
- two three-hour papers
- 200 mutiple-choice (best of five) questions
- no images
- sat in an examination hall.
Exam pass marks
MRCP(UK) examinations
| Examination | Pass mark |
| Part 1 | 540 |
| Part 2 Written | 454 |
| PACES | 130 (see individual skills breakdown below) |
The composition of the papers is as follows:
| Specialty | Number of questions* |
| Cardiology | 15 |
| Clinical haematology and oncology | 15 |
| Clinical Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology | 16 |
| Emergency and Critical care | |
| Clinical sciences** | 25 |
| Dermatology | 8 |
| Endocrinology | 15 |
| Geriatric medicine | 4 |
| Gastroenterology | 15 |
| Infectious diseases and GUM | 15 |
| Neurology | 15 |
| Nephrology | 15 |
| Ophthalmology | 4 |
| Psychiatry | 8 |
| Respiratory medicine | 15 |
| Rheumatology | 15 |
| 200 |
* This should be taken as an indication of the likely number of questions – the actual number may vary slightly.
** Clinical sciences comprise:
| Cell, molecular and membrane biology | 2 |
| Clinical anatomy | 3 |
| Clinical biochemistry and metabolism | 4 |
| Clinical physiology | 4 |
| Genetics | 3 |
| Immunology | 4 |
| Statistics, epidemiology and evidence-based medicine | 5 |
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