General Microbiology

Code:

MV126

Acronym:

MG

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Basic Sciences

Instance: 2021/2022 - 2S (of 21-02-2022 to 17-06-2022)

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Molecular Biology
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Masters Degree in Veterinary Medicine

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIMV	79	Official Study Plan	1	-	4,5	56	121,5

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students
Obs.: Classes will be given in portuguese. Bibliography and other support materials are available in english. An english exam can be provided for non-portuguese-speaking students.

Objectives

At the end of this course, the student shoud be able to: Acknowledge the central importance of Microbiology for his/her own daily life, for Earth’s environment, for the health of plants and animals and for the development of other Biomedical Sciences. Enumerate the basic structural features of viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa, as they are know today. Enumerate different strategies used by bacterial cells to obtain the energy and biosynthetic precursors they need. Describe bacterial growth in mathematical terms and identify the main factors impacting bacterial growth rate. Explain the main differences between viruses, procaryotic and eucaryotic cells in terms of the organization of their genomes and the way genetic material is transferred between cells. Identify microbial virulence factors. Enumerate the main components of the antimicrobial defense systems present in vertebrate animals. Enumerate the mechanisms of action of some the antibiotics in clinical use today and suggest new targets for the development of new antibiotics in the future. Explain the mechanisms of emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics and ways to avoid this emergence. Manipulate microrganisms using a correct asseptic technique. Correctely use the optical microscope for the observation of different types of microrganisms. Apply different types of staining methods to visualize and classify microorganisms. Apply metabolic tests to the identification of microorganisms. Quantify bacteria or phages present in a given sample. Analyse a water sample for the presence of fecal contamination. Find and critically analyse scientific literature, so that he/she may keep up-to-date to relevant scientific knowledge throughout life.

 

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of this course, the students should have:

1) acquired the knowledge about all the topics referred in the objectives and syllabus;

2) developed the capacity to plan and organize their work, both individually and within a team;

3) the capacity to work aseptically to cultivate and manipulate different microorganisms;

4) the capacity to search and analyze scientific literature in the area of Microbiology.

 

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

It is very important for the acquisition of the specific learning objectives of this UC that there is solid prior knowledge of the basic principles of cellular and molecular biology (structural components of cells, flow of genetic information: DNA-RNA-protein), as well as basic concepts of biological chemistry (what is an element, what is a molecule; distinguish organic and inorganic molecules; define sugar, protein, lipid).

Program

1- Definition, importance and History of Microbiology.

2- Bacterial structure: Cytosol and plasma membrane. Bacterial cell wall. The Gram staining. Differences in cell wall structure between Gram negatives and Gram positives. Peptidoglycan and teichoic acids. External membrane in Gram negatives. Peptidoglycan synthesis.

3- Bacterial Growth. Different methods used to quantify bacteria. Different phases of bacterial growth in a closed compartment. Mathematics of growth in an open culture. Definitions of generation time and growth rate. Environmental factors affecting bacterial growth.

4- Microbial nutrition and metabolism. Types of culture media. Nutritional categories. Main glicolytic pathways. The tricarboxylic acid cycle. Oxidative phosphorilation. Anaerobic respiration. Chemolytotrophy: impact on the environment, namely on carbon and sulfur cycles. Oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis. Anabolism: carbon dioxide and amonia fixation pathways. Metabolic regulatory mechanisms. Operon regulation. 

5- Bacterial Genetics. Genetic organization of bacteria as compared to eukaryotes. Mechanisms of gene transfer between bacteria: transformation, transduction and conjugation. Genetic recombination.

6- Virology: the importance of viruses for human and animal pathology. Bacteria-infecting virus: the bacteriophages. Viral morphology and organization. Different types of nucleic acids that can be part of viral genomes. Viral capsids: different types of symetry and organization. Viral envelope. Virus classification in terms of host, type of genome, capsid symetry, presence of envelope, etc. Viral multiplication: adsorption, penetration, replication, assembling and release. Consequences of viral infection for the infected cell. Antiviral drugs.

7- Mycology: Classification and characterization of fungi. Composition of fungal cell walls. Nutrition and reproduction.

8- Protozoology: General characteristics of protozoa. Cell organization, cytoskeleton and eukaryotic flagela. Types of reproduction found in protozoa. Morphologic characteristics, biochemistry, ecology and pathogenicity of some protozoal groups.

9- Infection and pathogen-host interaction. Mechanisms of resistance to infection, innate and acquired immunity. Complement and interferons, inflammation, phagocytic cells, opsonization. Antimicrobial effector mechanisms: pH, proteases, defensins, lactoferrin, oxygen radicals, nitric oxide, nutrient deprivation. T and B lymphocytes. Antibodies. Cytotoxic and helper T cells, cytokines. Antigen recognition by T cells, role of MHC molecules. Microbial virulence factors and mechanisms for avoiding and subverting the immune response: toxins, adhesins, complement resistance, resistance to phagocytosis, intracellular parasitism.

10- Antimicrobial control. Distinction between microbiostatic, microbicidal and microbiolytic effects. Definitions of sterilization, disinfection, antisepsis, conservation and chemotherapy. Physical agents of microbial control: temperature, radiation. Chemical agents used as disinfectants, antiseptics or chemotherapeutics. Main groups of antibiotics in use, including cell wall and protein synthesis inhibitors. Mechanisms of action, mechanisms of bacterial resistance. Examples of synthetic antimicrobial drugs: quinolones and sulfas. The impact of bacterial resistance on the therapy of human and animal infectious diseases. Mechanisms of development and propagation of resistances, types of genetic alterations involved. Methods for determining the susceptibility of a bacterial isolate to antibiotics/ chemotherapy.

Mandatory literature

Willey Joanne M.; Prescott, Harley, and Klein.s microbiology. ISBN: 978-0-07-110231-5
Madigan Michael; Brock biology of microorganisms. ISBN: 978-0-321-73551-5
Prescott Lansing M.; Microbiology. ISBN: 0-07-115830-8

Complementary Bibliography

Ferreira Wanda F. Canas 340; Microbiologia. ISBN: 972-757-024-0
Willey Joanne M.; Prescott.s principles of microbiology. ISBN: 978-0-07-128367-0

Comments from the literature

Complementary Bibliography:

Bibliography placed in the Sigarra site of the Microbiologia Geral course

Teaching methods and learning activities

Non-mandatory lectures, including discussion of relevant issues with the audience.

Laboratory classes in which the students perform Microbiology laboratory protocols, with the relevant instructions from the teacher; oral discussions and writen report of the results obtained.

Literature search on a microbiology theme proposed by the teacher. Presentation to the class. Made in groups of 3 to 5 students.

keywords

Natural sciences > Biological sciences > Biology > Microbiology

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	14,00
Exame	60,00
Trabalho laboratorial	20,00
Participação presencial	6,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	14,00
Estudo autónomo	47,50
Frequência das aulas	56,00
Trabalho escrito	4,00
Total:	121,50

Eligibility for exams

Presence in 3/4 of the Practical Classes.


Students who did the practical classes in the past and wish to be exempted from doing them again should contact the reponsible teacher.

Calculation formula of final grade

Final Grade= 0,6XTeorica + 0,4XPratica

Teorica= Final Exam or Average of two tests.

Pratica= 0,5XWrittenreports+ 0,35XLiteratureSearch + 0,15X(Assiduity&Preparedness)

Minimal classifications: 7,0 in each theoretical test; 9,0 in the average of the two tests or in the final exam; 9,5 in the practical classes.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

The students which are exempt from the presence in 3/4 of the practical lessons, for some valid reason, are obliged to perform a final laboratory exam to evaluate their practical competence, with an impact of 26% on the final classification.
They should contact the responsible teacher in the beginning of the semester to make sure they follow all the requirements.

Classification improvement

Following UP general regulations.