Microbiology Syllabus in Russia, Other CIS & Eastern Europe

Subject: Microbiology including Immunology & parasitology
Semesters: 4-5
Tentative hours of lectures: 40-50 hours
Tentative hours of practicals: 130 hours
Exam: after 2 semesters
Emphasis on the CIS syllabi: It’s wise to emphasize that this Curriculum/syllabus is tentative & the subject’s distribution or teaching hours or exams might vary in different universities and CIS.

Brief description of the course:

The purpose of this subject is to give knowledge to the students about the importance of microorganisms in pathology, normal flora, and the development of opportunistic infections, the role of microbiology in fight contagious diseases.
Microbiology integrated discipline, including bacteriology, mycology, virology parasitology, and immunology.

Prerequisites:

Molecular biology and medical genetics, Ecology, Chemistry, Histology, Biophysics, Biochemistry

Objectives:

To give knowledge about the classification, taxonomy biological properties of pathogenic, and nonpathogenic microorganisms
To give knowledge about indication and identification of pure culture
To give evidence about pathogenic and virulence factors and interaction of the pathogen with the host
To give basic knowledge about immunity
To give evidence about specific and nonspecific defenses of the host
To give basic knowledge about immuno-prophylaxis and immunotherapy of the bacterial and viral diseases
To give evidence about up-to-date methods of diagnostic of microbial diseases.
To give basic knowledge about microbiological investigations.

Outcomes:

A student should know:
1. Major biological properties of microorganisms (morphological, physiological, antigenic, pathogenic).
2. Normal flora of the human body
3. Specific and nonspecific defenses of the host.
4. The base of immunology and allergology.
5. Major principles of microbiological diagnostics of the wide-spreading infectious diseases
6. Major principles of microbiological investigation of the ill persons
7. Microbiological bases of aseptic and antiseptic sterilization and disinfection
8. Base of the antibiotic therapy
9. Resistance to antibiotics
10. Testing of disinfectants and antibiotics
A student should be able to:
1. Follow the rules in bacteriological laboratories
2. Take specimen for microbiological investigations
3. Examine bacteria under the compound light
4. Prepare smear-preparation from a sample of investigation like pus, urine, blood, feces.
5. Identify a microorganism based on differences in morphology and cellular organization
6. interpretation of culture results
7. interpretation report of the serological investigations

Educational methods:

Lectures
Practice: laboratory work, colloquium, seminars, solving problems, working with multimedia data, with computer models and programs, microscopy of preparations, work with small groups of students, business games, analyses of cases, modeling of situations
Individual work: work with literature, with computer data, and specially programmed, solving problems, glossary composing, and algorithm of diagnostic and prophylactic, solution of tests, preparing of paper, essay.

Lectures: topics & number of hours

No	Topics of the lectures	Academic hours
No	Topics of the lectures	Semester 4	Semester 5
1.	Introduction to Microbiology. Classification of the Microbes. Morphology of the Microbes.	2	—
2.	Physiology of the Microbes.	2	—
3.	Microbial Ecology. Human Normal Flora.	1	—
4.	Human Viruses. Bacteriophages.	1	—
5.	Principles of Bacterial Genetics. The Basic Concepts of Genetic Engineering and Medical Biotechnology	1	—
6.	Antimicrobials, Antibiotics, Chemotherapeutic Agents. Microbiological Aspects of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.	2	—
7.	The Basic Concepts of Infection and Immunity.	1	—
8.	Immunity. Types of Immunity. Innate Immunity.	2	—
9.	Adaptive immunity. Immune System. Antigens.	2	—
10.	Humoral and Cell-mediated Immunity. The Basic Theories of Antibodies Development.	2	—
11.	Hypersensitivity: Classification. Delayed and Immediate Types of Hypersensitivity. Antibacterial, Antitoxic, Antiviral, and Antifungal Immunity. Anti-tumor immunity. Mechanisms of Transplant Rejection.	2	—
12.	Immunotherapy and Immunoprophylaxis. Medical Immunobiological Preparations Used for Treatment and Immunoprophylaxis of Infectious Diseases.	2	—
13.	The Causative Agents of Enteric Bacterial Human Infectious Diseases.	—	2
14.	The Causative Agents of Respiratory Bacterial Human Infectious Diseases.	—	2
15.	Pathogenic and Opportunistic Mycobacteria.	—	1
16	Pathogenic Cocci.	—	1
17.	Pathogenic Anaerobes.	—	1
18.	Pathogenic Spirochetes.	—	1
19.	Rickettsia and Chlamydia.	—	2
20.	Causative Agents of Zoonoses.	—	1
21.	The Causative Agents of Enteric Viral Human Infectious Diseases.	—	2
22.	The Causative Agents of Respiratory Viral Human Infectious Diseases.	—	2
23.	The Causative Agents of Viral Hepatites.	—	2
24.	The Slow Viral and Prion Diseases.	—	1
25.	Oncogenic Viruses.	—	1
26.	Pathogenic Fungi.	—	1
27.	Pathogenic Protozoa.	—	1
28.	Environmental Microbiology.	—	1
29.	Clinical Microbiology.	—	2
	Total	20	24

Practical classes: topics & number of hours

No	Topics of the laboratory lessons	Academic hours
No	Topics of the laboratory lessons	Semester 4	Semester 5
1	Morphology of Prokaryotes (bacteria). Simple Staining.	2	—
2	Morphology of Prokaryotes. Complex (differential) Staining.	2	—
3	Morphology of Prokaryotes. Complex (structural) Staining.	2	—
4	Morphology of Eukaryotes (Fungi and Protozoa) and Viruses.	2	—
5	Colloquium: “Morphology of the Microbes”	3	—
6	Physiology of the Microbes. The Main Principles of Cultivation and Identification of the Microbes.	8	—
7	Ecology of the Microbes. Human Normal Microflora and Its Role in Health and Disease. Sterilization. Disinfection. Environmental Factors Affecting Microbes and Microbial Metabolism.	6	—
8	Bacterial Enzymes. Biochemical Features of Bacteria.	4	—
9	Antimicrobial Chemotherapeutic Agents. Principles of Bacterial Genetics. The Basic Concepts of Genetic Engineering and Medical Biotechnology.	6	—
10	Colloquium: “Physiology of the Microbes”	4	—
11	Infection and Infectious Process. Types of Infection. Pathogenicity and Virulence of the Microbes.	4	—
12	The Antigen-Antibody Reactions (Agglutination Test and Precipitation Test)	4	—
13	The Complement-mediated Immunological Reactions (CFT). The Modern Immunodiagnostic Reactions with the “Labeled” Reagents	4	—
14	Medical Immunobiological Preparations Used for Treatment and Immunoprophylaxis of Diseases.	4	—
15	Colloquium: “Infection and Immunity”	3	—
16	Colloquium: “Medical Immunobiological Preparations”	2	—
17	The Enteric Bacterial Pathogens.	—	2
18	The Enteric Bacterial Pathogens (continued from Lesson 17).	—	2
19	The Enteric Bacterial Pathogens (continued from Lesson 18).	—	2
20	The Bacterial Pathogens Acquired via Respiratory Tract.	—	4
21	Colloquium: “The Enteric and the Respiratory Tract Bacterial Pathogens	—	3
22	Pathogenic Cocci.	—	4
23	Pathogenic Anaerobes.	—	4
24	Clinical Microbiology.	—	5
25	Pathogenic Spirochetes.	—	4
26	Colloquium: “Pathogenic Cocci, Anaerobes and Spirochetes”	—	3
27	The Causative Agents of Zoonoses (plague, anthrax, brucellosis, tularemia).	—	3
28	Colloquium: “The Causative Agents of Zoonoses. Rickettsia and Chlamydia”	—	6
29	General Virology. Cultivation of Viruses. Virological Method of Diagnosis: Indication of Viruses.	—	4
30	The Respiratory Tract Viral Pathogens.	—	6
31	The Enteric Viral Pathogens.	—	6
32	Colloquium: “General and Special Virology”	—	4
33	Pathogenic Fungi and Protozoa.	—	4
34	Environmental Microbiology: Evaluation of Water and Air Quality. Methods of Microbiological Control of Water and Air.	—	4
	Totally	60	68

Interim assessments (Controls) & Exam

Interim assessment (Chapter-wise controls) : MCQs + situational tasks & practical skills with Viva (practical)
Final exam: Viva, situational tasks, MCQs & practical skills

No	Semester	Form of monitoring	The topic of the section	The assessment tools
1.	4	Control of the mastering topics	Morphology of the Microbes.	Written test (MCQ)
2.	4	Control of the mastering topics	Morphology of the Microbes.	Preparing a smear, staining, microscopical examination and identification of a microbe by morphology and tinctorial properties
3.	4	Control of the self-work of a student	Morphology of the Microbes.	Viva voce
4.	4	Control of the mastering topics	Physiology of the Microbes. Bacterial Genetics. Antimicrobial Chemotherapeutic Agents.	Written test (MCQ)
5.	4	Control of the mastering topics	Physiology of the Microbes. Bacterial Genetics. Antimicrobial Chemotherapeutic Agents.	Viva voce
6.	4	Control of the self-work of a student	Physiology of the Microbes. Bacterial Genetics. Antimicrobial Chemotherapeutic Agents.	Viva voce
7.	4	Control of the mastering topics	Infection. Medical Immunology.	Written test (MCQ)
8.		Control of the self-work of a student	Infection. Medical Immunology.	Viva voce
9.		Control of the mastering topics	Medical Immunobiological Preparations.	Viva voce
10.		Control of the mastering topics	The Causative Agents of Bacterial Enteric and Respiratory Infections.	Written test (MCQ)
11.		Control of the mastering topics	The Causative Agents of Bacterial Enteric and Respiratory Infections.	Answering the questions on the situational task
12.		Control of the mastering topics	Pathogenic Cocci, Anaerobes and Spirochetes	Written test (MCQ)
13.		Control of the mastering topics	Pathogenic Cocci, Anaerobes and Spirochetes	Answering the questions on the situational task
14.		Control of the mastering topics	The Causative Agents of Zoonoses. Rickettsia and Chlamydia	Written test (MCQ)
15.		Control of the mastering topics	The Causative Agents of Zoonoses. Rickettsia and Chlamydia	Answering the questions on the situational task
16.		Control of the mastering topics	General and Special Virology	Written test (MCQ)
17.		Control of the mastering topics	General and Special Virology	Answering the questions on the situational task
18.		Control of the mastering topics	Clinical and Environmental Microbiology	Answering the questions on the situational task
19		Control of the mastering Discipline	Examination	Written test (MCQ)
				Testing the practical skills
				Answering the questions on the situational task
				Viva voce

Sample Control & Exam questions

MCQ

Simple or case-based
Single answer or multiple answers

Which of the following are structural peculiarities of Prokaryotes:
1. They have 70S ribosomes
2. They have nucleoid
3. They contain peptidoglycan in the cell wall
4. They lack mitochondria
5. They may have plasmids
6. They are protected by nucleocapsid
  - Answers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Viva

What are the three components of LPS? What are some of the pathologic effects of LPS?
Name two important distinctions between N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae?

Situational tasks

You are employed in a public health laboratory. You have managed to isolate Salmonella from both the egg salad and the chicken salad served at a company picnic after which 5 people became ill.
1. What laboratory procedures were used to isolate the microbes?
2. What special tests need to be performed to identify Salmonella?
3. What laboratory procedures (including “genetic tests”) can be used to track down the source of infection?

Scores

The score ranges from 5 to 1:
- 5 is “excellent” → Otlichno
- 4 is “good” → Khorosho
- 3 is “satisfactory” → Udovletvoritel’no
- 2 is “unsatisfactory” → Neudovletvoritel’no

Reference textbooks

Medical Microbiology, Virology, Immunology: textbook in 2 volumes/ds. V.V. Zverev, M.N. Boichenko. (Moscow: GEOTAR-Media Group)
Jawetz, Melnick and Adelberg’s Medical Microbiology.Geo F. Brooks, Janet S. Butel, L. Nicolas Ornston, et al.
Медицинская микробиология и иммунология/Под ред. В.В. Зверева. Мальцев В.Н., Пашков Е.П. (М.: Практическая медицина)
Атлас по иммунологии и аллергологии.под ред. А.А. Воробьева, А.С. Быкова. (Практическая медицина, М)

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