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Micro 4110

Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunobiology


Credit Hour(s): 3 Units
Instructor(s): Deora, Pradhan, Wozniak
Offered: Autumn; Spring
Prerequisite(s): Micro 4000 or Micro 4100
Role in Microbiology Major: Core (Required)

Lecture Topics:

  • Innate and adaptive immunity
  • Immune cell functions
  • Complement system and other antimicrobial molecules
  • Recognition of microbes by the immune system
  • Cycle of microbial diseases
  • Acquisition and regulation of bacterial virulence genes
  • Molecular strategies developed by bacterial pathogens to infect their host
  • Airborne and foodborne bacterial diseases
  • Mechanisms used by diverse pathogens to escape the immune defense and cause diseases: pathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella species, Listeria monocytogenes, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Bacillus anthracis, Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Vibrio cholerae, and Clostridium botulinum
  • Mechanisms and limitation of antimicrobial drugs

Learning Outcomes:

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

  • Key mechanisms involved in the immune defense
  • How the immune system distinguishes between self and foreign organisms
  • Differences and connections between the innate and adaptive immune responses
  • The beneficial roles of microbes that compose the human microbiota
  • How to study microbial disease mechanisms
  • What particular attributes microbes must display in order to breach the host physical barriers and immune defense mechanisms
  • How human behavior influences the emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases
  • Unequal distribution of infections across the world
  • Why bacterial pathogens rapidly overcome the activity of antimicrobial drugs
  • The spread of nosocomial and community acquired infections
  •  Challenges we are currently facing for the prevention and treatment of infections