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1. 1993/I/2aiii
Certain cells in the lymphatic system are important in body defence. Briefly describe how these cells carry
out this function. (3 marks)

2. 1995/I/2b
About 200 years ago, many people died of an infectious disease called smallpox. If a patient suffers from
smallpox, a lot of small boils will appear on the skin. A British doctor, Edward Jenner, noticed that
milkmaids often caught a similar but mild disease called cowpox. However, they never seemed to catch
small pox.
The following diagrams show two consecutive experiments performed by Jenner :

(i) With reference to the first experiment, explain why James caught cowpox and in a few days he was
well again. (4 marks)
(ii) With reference to the second experiment, explain why James did not catch smallpox. (4 marks)
(iii) At the end of the second experiment, would James become immune to other infectious diseases ?
Why ? (2 marks)


3. 1996/I/2bii
Explain the following :
Vaccination can protect our body against certain diseases. (4 marks)





HKCEE BIOLOGY | 6.4 Defence against diseases | P.1

132

4. 1998/I/2b
Hepatitis B is a disease of the liver caused by a virus. Three members of a family, P, Q and R, took a blood
test to find out if they are immune to this disease. The results of the blood test are shown in the table below :
P Q R
Hepatitis B antigen in the blood Absent Absent Present
Level of antibody against hepatitis B in the blood
(unit per dm
3
)
0 297 0
(i) (1) P was advised to have a hepatitis B vaccination. Explain how P could become immune against
the disease after vaccination. (4 marks)
(2) Would this vaccination allow P to become immune to other types of hepatitis ? Why ?
(2 marks)
(ii) Both Q and R have not received any hepatitis B vaccination before. Suggest a reason to explain the
difference in their blood test results. (2 marks)
(iii) Hepatitis B is transmitted through contact with the body fluid of an infected person. Apart from
vaccination, suggest two measures that can prevent the transmission of this disease. (2 marks)

5. 2003/I/4c
Cholera is a human disease caused by a type of bacteria. It is transmitted through contaminated water and
food. A vaccine against this disease is made up of killed cholera bacteria. To study the effectiveness of the
vaccine, a mouse was first injected with the vaccine and then with live cholera bacteria 20 days later. During
the study, the mouse showed no sign of cholera. The changes in the antibody level in the plasma of the
mouse are shown in the graph below :

(i) Explain the rise in the antibody level between day 5 and day 7. (2 marks)
(ii) State two differences between the patterns of antibody production as induced by the two injections.
Suggest an explanation for such differences. (5 marks)
(iii) People may be infected with cholera through eating contaminated seafood. Besides vaccination,
suggest two ways to reduce the risk of cholera infection through eating seafood. (2 marks)

HKCEE BIOLOGY | 6.4 Defence against diseases | P.2

133

6. 2004/I/1ciii,iv
(iii) One method to confirm a patient is infected with the SARS virus is to test for the presence of
antibodies against this virus in the patient's blood.
Explain why these antibodies will be produced by a SARS patient. (2 marks)
(iv) Suggest a method that can help the body develop immunity against SARS. Explain how the
immunity is developed. (4 marks)

7. 2007/I/7b
Antibiotic is a drug commonly used to treat bacterial infections. In recent years, there have been more
reported cases of resistant forms of bacteria strains found in hospitals. The graph below shows the
percentage of the resistant form in a particular bacterial population and the amount of antibiotics used in one
particular hospital each year from 1995 to 2004:

(i) Explain why the increased amount of antibiotics used will lead to the rise in the percentage of the
resistant form in the bacterial population. (4 marks)
(ii) Some patients in hospitals will have a higher death rate if infected with resistant forms of bacteria.
Suggest one group of these patients and give an explanation. (2 marks)
(iii) If you were a doctor, suggest two practices that you could adopt to slow down the rise of the resistant
forms of bacteria. (2 marks)
HKCEE BIOLOGY | 6.4 Defence against diseases | P.3