Infection Control · single question
Comparing survival on dry, smooth environmental surfaces, which organism persists for the LONGEST time?
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Correct answer: B. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- A. HIV survives only minutes to about an hour outside the body.
- B. Correct. Mycobacteria (including M. tuberculosis) can survive on dry surfaces for weeks to months — longer than HBV.
- C. HBV is famously hardy (≈7 days), but that is still shorter than mycobacterial persistence.
- D. Influenza survives only hours to about a day on surfaces.
Note: This recall item was debated: HBV (~7 days) is the classic 'tough bloodborne' answer, but by raw duration M. tuberculosis persists far longer (months). The recall was corrected from Hep B to TB.
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