Generale Pathology, Immunology and Medical Microbiology

The integrated course of General Pathology, Immunology and Medical Microbiology aims to provide the tools to understand the molecular mechanisms and the pathogenesis of human diseases. In addition, the course will provide the bases for understanding the mechanisms of immune defenses, innate and acquired, implemented by the host. The Medical Microbiology module aims at describing the microorganisms causing the most common viral, bacterial or parasitic human diseases and the mechanisms of their pathogenicity.

The students will be able to define the molecular mechanisms of human, communicable and not communicable diseases and the basis of immunity and inflammation. They will be able to recognize the causes (aetiology) and the mechanisms (pathogenesis) of diseases, and to understand and use common medical words and meanings. The students will recognize the structure, genomic organization, replication and pathogenesis of the most common human diseases caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites. For each microorganism, they will define the interactions with the host and the bases for therapeutic intervention. Moreover, they will develop methods to investigate any disease and to critically analyze scientific publications on the field.