M4100

General Microbiology Lecture

Credit: 5 units
Instructor(s): Daniels
Offered: Autumn, Spring

History of microbiology and microbial evolution
Cell structure: microscopy, cell envelope, inclusion bodies, endospores, transport and motility
Growth: culture methods, nutrition and environmental factors, antimicrobial agents and antibiotic resistance
Microbial molecular biology: DNA replication, mutations and DNA repair, transcription and gene regulation, the genetic code and translation
Genetic exchange: plasmids, transposons, viruses, conjugation, transformation, and transduction
Microbial diversity: major groups of microbes
Metabolism: fuelling reactions, respiration, fermentation, phototrophy and anabolism
Biogeochemical cycles: carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur
Microbial ecology: microbes in aquatic and terrestrial environments, and microbial interactions: mutualism, parasitism and symbiosis
Applied Microbiology: food microbiology and food safety, industrial microbiology, biodegradation and bioremediation

After completion of the lecture component of the course, successful students will understand...

The key historical events in the development of modern Microbiology.
How microscopic techniques are used to visualize cells and sub-cellular components
The principles of modern evolutionary theory and the relationship between bacterial, archaeal and eukaryal cells
The relationship between cellular structures and their functions
How environmental and physiochemical conditions affect microbial growth and how chemical methods and antibiotics are used to control microbial growth
The structure of genes, their replication and the transfer of genetic information between organisms
The synthesis of macromolecules and the regulation of gene expression
The importance of energy conservation in catabolic and anabolic reactions and the diversity of metabolism among microorganisms
The ecology of microbial organisms and how they adapt to their environment
How microbes impact their environment as positive or negative agents, including the use of microbes to solve environmental problems
The role of microbes in industrial and food processes and their applications in biomedical treatment and research
That microbes and viruses play integral roles in both maintaining normal health and in disease processes of humans, animals and plants
The molecular mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis and how pathogens differ in key physiological and genetic processes from non-pathogenic organisms

Credit: Required with Lecture
Instructor: Ibba
Offering: Autumn, Spring

How to handle microorganisms safely and how to maintain pure cultures using aseptic techniques (aseptic transfers, three phase streak)
The operation of a phase contrast microscope
The purpose of the ingredients in bacterial growth media and how to formulate a medium for a specific organism
The enumeration of microorganisms by dilution and the use and limitations of viable count and absorbance methods
Graphical representation of bacterial growth and death
How to generate a pure culture of a microbe from a mixed culture or an environmental sample
The use and interpretation of simple test systems like the Enterotube and the Colilert
The classification of microbial control agents as bacteriostatic or bacteriocidal
Mechanisms of DNA transfer by conjugation
How to manage and preserve a collection of microorganism strains
The amplification of DNA by PCR
The interpretation and in silico manipulation of DNA sequence data
Use of the Ribosomal Database Project to identify microorganisms from 16S rRNA sequences
How to enumerate and evaluate the microbial load on food products

After completion of the laboratory component of the course, successful students will understand...

Aseptic techniques in handling pure cultures of microbes
Formulation of and preparation of bacterial media (rich, minimal, defined, differential)
Use of the phase contrast microscope, including wet mounts and simple and differential stains
Enumeration of microbes by direct and indirect methods (viable count, absorbance, counting chamber)
Structure of the bacterial cell wall using lysozyme as a probe
Identification of unknown enterics using differential media for Gram negatives and the Enterotube
Water microbiology, use of the Colilert test
Effects of environmental factors on bacterial growth (temperature, oxygen tolerance, salt)
Bacterial growth curve
Bacterial kill curve and persisters
Microbial control agents (antiseptics, disinfectants, antibiotics), the Kirby-Bauer assay, calculation of the minimal inhibitory concentration of an antibiotic
Conjugation as a mechanism of DNA transfer
Enrichment of Streptomyces from soil and demonstration of natural antibiotic activity.
Enrichment of Pseudomonas from soil, phenotypic characterization, identification by 16S rRNA amplification, and probing of the Ribosomal Database
Isolation of common microbes from skin and survey of Gram positive differential media
Food microbiology, including surveys of meat and milk; and preparation of (edible) yogurt.