GENERAL ED APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY
Academic year and teacher
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2020/2021
- Teacher
- ANTONELLA CAPUTO
- Credits
- 6
- Curriculum
- BIOTECNOLOGIE PER L'AMBIENTE
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
- SSD
- BIO/19
Training objectives
- The Microbiology is a discipline that belongs to the life sciences and study morphology, classification, physiology and interactions of all microorganisms, including viruses, as models for the study and understanding of biological processes. The main objective of the course is to provide the students the basis for studying and understanding the nature of microorganisms, the interaction with other organisms and the changes induced by the interaction between microorganism and host, basic and applied microbiological techniques, also in the biotechnology filed.
Knowledge and understanding
The student:
- Properly knows the terminology of microbiology;
- knows the structure of the bacterial cells and virus particles;
- knows the molecular basis of horizontal gene transfer processes;
- Can describe the basic elements of cellular reactions and principles of the regulation;
- Can describe the basic elements of the relationship between microbial cell and the host organism;
- Can describe the basic elements of the relationship between the virus and the host organism.
Applying knowledge (ability)
The student:
- Knows how to properly use the terminology of microbiology
- Knows how to evaluate the impact of the guest-microorganism interaction on cellular functions;
- is able to schedule an experiment to evaluate the kinetics of bacterial growth ;
- is able to use the main technique to identify microorganisms in a biological sample.
- is able to use the main laboratory technique to evaluate the sensitivity / resistance to various antibiotics of microorganisms present in a biological sample. Prerequisites
- Although there are no rules for prerequisites, to better understand the microbiology lectures, the student should possess basic knowledge of chemistry, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, with particular attention to animal cell biology and scientific language skills.
Course programme
- The course (6 CFU, 48 hours) consists of lectures and activities aimed at the acquisition of practical skills in the microbiological field.
The lectures will cover the following topics:
Factors affecting bacteria growth: culture medium; role of pH, temperature, humidity, salinity, oxygen in affecting bacteria growth; classification of bacteria based on the ability to grow in different environmental; the bacterial growth curve; the binary division of the bacterial cell and the generation time. The basics of controlled growth in bioreactor.
Structure of the bacterial cell and the components of the bacterial cell: cytoplasmic membrane, structure and functions; cytoplasm, ribosomes, organelles; bacterial wall; the outer membrane; capsule composition, function and role; fimbriae, pili and flagella; the spores: composition, characteristics and function, sporogenesis and germination. Biofils and quorum sensing. Bacillus Thuringensis as an example of spore-forming bacterium and as an application of biotechnology in agriculture. Classification of bacteria according to the Gram and Ziehl Neelsen staining. Secretion systems (sec- dependent and sec-independent).
Genetic information in prokaryotes: the nucleosome and replication of the genomic DNA. Plasmids: structure, characteristics; replication origin, stringent and relaxed replication origin, compatibility and incompatibility, the host spectrum; theta replication and rolling circle replication. Other accessory genetic elements. Transcription and translation. Metabolism and biosynthesis. Methods of microbial control: physical methods mechanical chemical. Antibiotics: Isolation of antibiotic-producing microorganisms; indicator organisms and sensitivity; classification according to the site of action and mechanisms of action. Development of antibiotic resistance. Methods of culture and isolation of bacteria. Media (liquid, solid), differential and selective media. Didactic methods
- The course consists of theory lectures (48 hours) for the acquisition of basic knowledge in the microbiological field. Classes are held weekly in the classroom, using power-point slides, videos and e-learning activities provided by the suggested text book. Students are requested to attend the lectures, to study on a regular basis on the suggested text book and to take active part to the virtual class offered by the teacher for a periodic auto-evaluation. These activities will favor the preparation to the final exam.
Learning assessment procedures
- The level of achievement of previously indicated learning objectives is assessed through a oral or written examination. In particular, the exam aims to evaluate the study of the matter and the understanding of the main topics of the course. The student has to answer to 50-60 multiple choice questions on the topics of the course (time available: 30-40 minutues). The mark are expressed out of thirty (lowest mark 18). Each correct answer corresponds to +1; each wrong answer and unanswered questions corresponds to 0. For those interested, for each exam there will be a single day (a few days after the exam) in which it will be possible to view their work. There will be no other possibilities nor will it be possible to receive replies by email.
Reference texts
- • Dehò, Galli Biologia dei microorganismi, III edition 2018 – Casa Editrice Ambrosiana
