ITA | ENG
B028077 - CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
Main information
Teaching Language
Course Content
Suggested readings
Learning Objectives
Teaching Methods
Course program
Academic Year 2020-21
Coorte 2019 - Second Cycle Degree in MOLECULAR AND APPLIED BIOLOGY
Course year
Second year - First Semester
Belonging Department
Biology (BIO)
Course Type
Single education field course
Scientific Area
MED/07 - MICROBIOLOGY AND CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
Credits
6
Teaching Hours
48
Teaching Term
14/09/2020 ⇒ 23/12/2020
Attendance required
No
Type of Evaluation
Final Grade
Course Content
show
Course program
show
Lectureship
Teaching Language
Italian
Course Content
Structural and functional characteristics of bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses of medical interest and their interaction with the host. Mechanisms of microbial pathogenicity. Diagnostic laboratory microbiology. Antimicrobial compounds for bacteria, fungi and viruses. Mechanisms of resistance. Bacterial and viral vaccines.
Suggested readings (Search our library's catalogue)
Principi di microbiologia medica. Antonelli G, Clementi M, Pozzi G, Rossolini GM. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, 2017.
Microbiologia Medica - Murray - Ed. Elsevier.
Materiale Didattico fornito dal Docente.
Microbiologia Medica - Murray - Ed. Elsevier.
Materiale Didattico fornito dal Docente.
Learning Objectives
Students shall acquire knowledge concerning:
- Main morphological and structural characteristics of bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses of medical interest, and their growth, reproduction and spread.
- Interactions between microbes and host, and mechanisms of microbial pathogenicity of bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses.
- Host defences against infectious agents.
- Mechanisms of action of anti-microbials, mechanism of microbial drug resistance and methods for in vitro evaluation of drug susceptibility.
- Principles of laboratory diagnosis of bacterial, viral, micotic, and parasitic infections.
- Major issues on nosocomial infections and antimicrobial resistance.
Students shall be able to apply these knowledge to the most important human pathogens.
- Main morphological and structural characteristics of bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses of medical interest, and their growth, reproduction and spread.
- Interactions between microbes and host, and mechanisms of microbial pathogenicity of bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses.
- Host defences against infectious agents.
- Mechanisms of action of anti-microbials, mechanism of microbial drug resistance and methods for in vitro evaluation of drug susceptibility.
- Principles of laboratory diagnosis of bacterial, viral, micotic, and parasitic infections.
- Major issues on nosocomial infections and antimicrobial resistance.
Students shall be able to apply these knowledge to the most important human pathogens.
Teaching Methods
Formal Lecture
Course program
General microbiology
Notions of general microbiology for the health biologist. Bacteriology: structure and function of fundamental and accessory components of the bacterial cell; structure and function of the bacterial spore; principles of bacterial genetics (bacterial genomes structure, mutations, mechanisms of gene exchange among bacteria); principles of bacterial cultivation; bacterial growth at the cellular and population level.
Virology: nature and characteristics of the viruses; viruses cultivation; virus-cell interactions and main replication strategies of viruses.
Mycology and parasitology: general characteristics of fungi and parasites; structure, reproduction and classification.
Active and passive immunoprophylaxis.
Medical bacteriology
Principles of diagnostic bacteriology: direct and indirect diagnosis; use of microscopy for bacterial observation; main bacterial stains.
Bacterial identification: phenotypic and molecular methods.
Mechanisms of bacterial pathogenicity and interaction with host specific and nonspecific defence mechanisms.
Bacterial biofilms and role in infections.
The human microbiota: composition, physiological role, and role in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases.
Antibacterial drugs and mechanisms of action. Molecular basis of drug resistance. Phenotypic and molecular techniques for susceptibility testing.
Major bacterial pathogens (mechanisms of pathogenicity and diagnostic aspects):
Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Mycobacterium, Nesseria, Haemophilus influenzae, Bordetella pertussis, Brucella, Enterobacteriaceae, Campylobacter, Helicobacter pylori, Vibrio, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter, Clostridium difficile, Legionella, Chlamydiae, Mycoplasmas, Spirochaetes.
Nosocomial infections: principal aspects of epidemiology and route of transmission.
Micology
Mechanisms of fungal pathogenicity and virulence. Principles of diagnostic mycology. Antifungal agents: mechanism of activity and mechanisms of resistance.
Major fungal human pathogens:
Candida, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus, dermatophytes, Pneumocystis.
Parasitology
Major parasites of medical interest: structural characteristics and life cycles. Examples of main diseases caused by protozoa and helminths in humans (Malaria, Toxoplasmosis, Ascaridiosis, Oxyuriasis ). Notes on laboratory diagnosis of parasitic diseases.
Virology
Virus-host interaction and antiviral defenses. Acute, latent and persistent viral infections. Slow viral infections. Antiviral agents and mechanisms of antiviral resistance. Oncogenic viruses. Principles of diagnostic virology.
Major viral human pathogens (epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and antiviral treatments):
Herpesviridae; Hepatitis viruses A,B,C; Influenza viruses; Paramyxoviridae (main respiratory viruses, measles and mumps viruses); Picornaviridae; Human papillomavirus; Human immunodeficiency viruses.
Notions of general microbiology for the health biologist. Bacteriology: structure and function of fundamental and accessory components of the bacterial cell; structure and function of the bacterial spore; principles of bacterial genetics (bacterial genomes structure, mutations, mechanisms of gene exchange among bacteria); principles of bacterial cultivation; bacterial growth at the cellular and population level.
Virology: nature and characteristics of the viruses; viruses cultivation; virus-cell interactions and main replication strategies of viruses.
Mycology and parasitology: general characteristics of fungi and parasites; structure, reproduction and classification.
Active and passive immunoprophylaxis.
Medical bacteriology
Principles of diagnostic bacteriology: direct and indirect diagnosis; use of microscopy for bacterial observation; main bacterial stains.
Bacterial identification: phenotypic and molecular methods.
Mechanisms of bacterial pathogenicity and interaction with host specific and nonspecific defence mechanisms.
Bacterial biofilms and role in infections.
The human microbiota: composition, physiological role, and role in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases.
Antibacterial drugs and mechanisms of action. Molecular basis of drug resistance. Phenotypic and molecular techniques for susceptibility testing.
Major bacterial pathogens (mechanisms of pathogenicity and diagnostic aspects):
Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Mycobacterium, Nesseria, Haemophilus influenzae, Bordetella pertussis, Brucella, Enterobacteriaceae, Campylobacter, Helicobacter pylori, Vibrio, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter, Clostridium difficile, Legionella, Chlamydiae, Mycoplasmas, Spirochaetes.
Nosocomial infections: principal aspects of epidemiology and route of transmission.
Micology
Mechanisms of fungal pathogenicity and virulence. Principles of diagnostic mycology. Antifungal agents: mechanism of activity and mechanisms of resistance.
Major fungal human pathogens:
Candida, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus, dermatophytes, Pneumocystis.
Parasitology
Major parasites of medical interest: structural characteristics and life cycles. Examples of main diseases caused by protozoa and helminths in humans (Malaria, Toxoplasmosis, Ascaridiosis, Oxyuriasis ). Notes on laboratory diagnosis of parasitic diseases.
Virology
Virus-host interaction and antiviral defenses. Acute, latent and persistent viral infections. Slow viral infections. Antiviral agents and mechanisms of antiviral resistance. Oncogenic viruses. Principles of diagnostic virology.
Major viral human pathogens (epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and antiviral treatments):
Herpesviridae; Hepatitis viruses A,B,C; Influenza viruses; Paramyxoviridae (main respiratory viruses, measles and mumps viruses); Picornaviridae; Human papillomavirus; Human immunodeficiency viruses.