Introduction to Medical Microbiology

1. Course syllabus
2. What is Medical Microbiology?
   • Microbiology of pathogens
   • Infectious diseases
   • Pathogenesis
   • Epidemiology
   • Immunology
   • Clinical Microbiology
   • Antimicrobial pharmacology
3. How can I best study this topic?
   1. The "Bug Parade"
   2. Form associations
      • virulence properties
      • STDs
      • Vector-borne diseases
      • Zoonotic infections
      • Exotoxin-mediated diseases
      • Intracellular life cycle
   3. Case history
4. Other resources
   1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
   2. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
   3. Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID)
   4. Healthcare-associated infections (HAI)

    

Review

1. Nature of microorganisms
   1. Archaea: not pathogenic
   2. Bacteria
   3. Eukarya
      • Protozoa
      • Fungi
      • Algae
      • Parasites
   4. Viruses
   5. Prions
2. Structure & Function (role in pathogenesis)
   1. Prokaryotes
      • Cell wall (protection, endotoxin, PAMPs, antibiotic target)
      • Plasma membrane (transporters, antibiotic target, complement target)
      • Capsules (protection, adhesion, immune evasion)
      • Pili (attachment, gene transfer)
      • Plasmids (resistance, virulence)
      • Ribosomes (antibiotic target)
      • Endospores (survival, resistance)
   2. Eukaryotes
      • Cellular organelles
      • Cysts (survival)
      • Spores (reproduction, survival)
      • Cell wall
      • Capsule (immune evasion)
   3. Viruses
      • nucleic acid (replication, integration)
      • capsid (adhesion, protection, virulence)
      • envelope (entry)
      • protein spikes (adhesion, enzyme function)
3. Growth of microorganisms
   1. Rapid growth (binary fission)
   2. Spore formation (survival, resistance)
   3. Growth phase affects susceptibility to drugs
   4. Biofilms and persister cells
   5. Intracellular/extracellular life cycle
   6. Affected by O₂, pH, temperature
      • Puncture wounds
      • Peptic ulcers
      • Fever
4. Microbial metabolism
   1. Nutrient availability
      • culture & identification of pathogens
      • fastidious pathogens
   2. Iron
5. Microbial genetics
   1. Mutation & resistance
   2. Lateral gene transfer (transformation, transduction, conjugation)
   3. Recombination (the story of MRSA, VRE and VRSA)
   4. Antigenic variation
   5. Virulence factors
   6. Pathogenicity islands
   7. Lysogenic viruses
6. Microbiological methods
   1. Culture media
   2. Microscopy
   3. Staining
7. Control of microbial growth
   1. Sterilization
   2. Disinfection
   3. Antisepsis