Course Description

A comprehensive study of microorganisms that cause human disease and the basic principles of pathogenesis, including the molecular basis of infectious disease, how microorganisms establish infections, gain nutrients, cause damage to the host and disease, and evade host defense mechanisms.

Rationale

This course builds upon the framework established by introductory microbiology classes, focusing on those microorganisms responsible for important infections in humans. Diseases caused by the four main microbial communities are defined: as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. In addition to describing the microorganisms and diseases that they cause, the pathophysiology of these diseases and how body sites are altered in response to these infections are addressed.

Measurable Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:

A.  Identify medically relevant microorganisms and their clinical presentations.

B.  Describe the structure and replication strategies of microorganisms discussed.

C.  Define the term tumor suppressor genes, describe how the corresponding gene products are involved in normal cell growth control, how tumor suppressor gene products intersect growth control/survival pathways, and how tumor viruses interact with these products and their intersecting pathways.

E.  Describe the processes involved in the anti-tumor effects of “anti-tumor” viruses.

F.  Integrate experimental strategies learned in the context of individual viral systems into the design of experiments involving other systems.

G.  Interpret data from experiments that utilize the methodologies described and draw conclusions from the data.

Course Assignment