BI 127 - Microbiology

1. Identify groups of microorganisms (prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and viruses) and distinguish them on the basis of their structure, biology, and pathogenicity or virulence.
2. Identify and explain microbial strategies for growth and energy generation.
3. Explain how bacterial phenotypes can change through gene expression, mutation, and horizontal gene transfer.
4. Explain principles of disinfection and sterilization, provide examples of physical and chemical agents, and apply those principles and methods in a household or healthcare setting.
5. Explain how the mechanism of action of antimicrobial chemotherapy and microbial susceptibility relate to selective toxicity, drug spectrum, and the development of microbial resistance.
6. Compare resident flora and transient flora, as well as opportunistic pathogens and true pathogens and apply principles of host-parasite relationships to infectious disease.
7. Analyze the etiology, virulence, transmission, and control strategy for select viral, bacterial, fungal, protozoan, and helminth diseases.
8. Distinguish between nonspecific and specific host defenses and explain the role of each in protecting the host from infectious disease.
9. Contrast active and passive immunity as well as natural and artificial for each and explain how vaccines can result in immunocompetence.
10. Practice microbiology discipline-specific laboratory skills of aseptic technique, microscopy, pure culture techniques and employ them to identify an unknown bacterium.

Course Topics:

1. Diversity of microorganisms and multicellular parasites
   1. Scope and history of microbiology
      1. The microbes
      2. Historical contributions to development of microbiology
      3. Disciplines within microbiology
   2. Bacteria
      1. Prokaryotic cell structure
         1. Size, shape, and arrangement
         2. Prokaryotic cell structures and their function
         3. Differences with eukaryotic cells
      2. Bacterial growth and culture
         1. Binary fission and the bacterial growth curve
         2. Factors affecting bacterial growth
         3. Sporulation
         4. Biofilms
      3. Bacterial metabolism
         1. Anabolism and catabolism
         2. Aerobic energy metabolism and respiration
         3. Anaerobic energy metabolism and fermentation
      4. Bacterial genetics, gene transfer, and evolutionary mechanisms
         1. Flow of genetic information within the bacterial cell
         2. Mutation
         3. Mechanisms for bacterial gene transfer (recombination) transformation, transduction, and conjugation
   3. Viruses
      1. Size, shape, and structure of viruses
      2. Viral replication
   4. Fungi - biological characteristics
   5. Protozoa - biological characteristics
   6. Helminths - biological characteristics
2. Control of Microbes
   1. Principles of sterilization and disinfection
   2. Physical antimicrobial agents
   3. Chemical antimicrobial agents
   4. Antimicrobial therapy
      1. Properties and mechanisms of antibacterial agents
      2. Susceptibility to antibacterial agents
      3. Resistance to antibacterial agents
3. Host-parasite relationships of infectious disease
   1. Symbioses between microbes and humans
   2. Normal flora of human
   3. Nature, types and stages of infectious disease
   4. Microbial virulence determinants
   5. Epidemiology of infectious disease
      1. Occurrence of disease in population
      2. Transmission of disease
      3. Control of disease transmission
   6. Healthcare associated infections
   7. Representative bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoan, and helminth diseases of humans
4. Host defenses
   1. Nonspecific host defenses
      1. Physical and chemical barriers
      2. Cellular defenses - phagocytosis and inflammation
      3. Molecular defenses - interferon and complement
   2. Specific host defenses
      1. Types of immunity
      2. Characteristics of immune responses
      3. Humoral immunity
         1. Properties of antibodies
         2. Primary and secondary immune responses
      4. Cell-mediated immunity
      5. Vaccines and vaccination
      6. Immune disorders

It is the intent and design of the laboratory component of this course to be an instructor-facilitated, student-centered, hands- on, activity-based and inquiry-based learning experience.

Laboratory Topics:

• Aseptic technique and bacterial culture - aseptic transfers; preparation of culture media; cultivation of bacteria and appearance of growth in broths, on slants, on plates
• Microscopy - principles, parts, and use of the compound light microscope
• Bacterial morphology - simple and differential staining, Gram stain, acid-fast stain, spore stain, capsule stain, bacterial motility
• Bacterial metabolism - biochemical activities of bacteria
• Bacterial growth - standard plate count, factors affecting bacterial growth, differential and selective media
• Control of bacterial growth - effect of physical and chemical agents on bacterial growth; antibacterial susceptibility testing
• Microbial diversity - observation of fungal, protozoan, and helminth pathogens
• Clinical microbiology - identification of a bacterial unknown, case studies in medical microbiology

Unit and final exams that are administered online shall either be given in an assessment facility (e.g., GRCC Assessment/Testing Center) or utilizing an exam monitoring program/resource that incorporates a lockdown browser and the use of a video monitoring system e.g., Respondus Lockdown Browser with Monitor. Any online administration would require that the student provide identification e.g., driver’s license, GRCC I.D.

Lecture (75% of the course grade)

Quizzes/Exams (60-100%)

Assignments (0-40%)

Lab (25% of the course grade)

Lab Exams (60%)

Assignments and Unknown Identification (40%)