Microbiology

The course includes the presentation and discussion of the following topics, subdivided into a general part (General microbiology) and a clinical part (Clinical microbiology, i.e. the etiological infection agents grouped by microbiological sub-discipline: Bacteriology, Virology, Mycology and Parasitology).

General microbiology:
· Microbiota (resident microbial population of the human body and composition in the various districts)
· Interaction of infectious agents and human hosts
· Main transmission routes (horizontal and vertical) of infectious agents
· Basic concepts of colonization, symbiosis, commensalism, infection and disease
· Classification of infectious agents
· Morphology and structure of the bacterial cell with a focus on microbial structures external to the plasma membrane
· Virulence factor of bacteria: biofilm, capsule, enzymes, flagella, pili, plasmids, toxins
· Exchange of genetic information in bacteria: conjugation, transduction, transformation
· Bacteria culture and common staining procedures
· Sporulation and germination
· Approved antibacterial vaccines
· Mechanism of action of antibacterial drugs inhibiting cell wall synthesis, cytoplasmic membrane functions, protein synthesis and nucleic acids
· Mechanisms of bacterial resistance to antibiotics
· Molecular structure and classification of animal viruses
· Intracellular parasitism and phases of the replication cycle of animal viruses
· Mode of transmission and types of viral infection (acute, persistent, and latent)
· Antiviral drugs and their mechanism of action
· Approved antiviral vaccines
· Morphology, ultrastructure and function of the fungal cell, and mode of reproduction
· Mode of transmission of fungal infectious agents
· Pathogenicity of fungi
· Classification of fungal infections
· Drugs with antifungal activity: mechanisms of action, drug resistance development
· Morphology, structure-function relationship, and mode of reproduction of protozoa
· Mode of transmission and importance of the vectors
· Morphology and structure of parasites (worms and arthropods)
· Antiparasitic drugs and mechanisms of action
· Strategies for fighting parasites
· Principles of infection diagnosis

Clinical microbiology:
Species features involved in human disease: pathogenetic potential, type of infection, drug-resistance of the main human pathogenic bacteria:
· Staphylococci, with particular reference to Staphylococcus aureus;
· Streptococci, with particular reference to: Streptococcus pneumoniae, S. pyogenes, S. agalactiae;
· Neisseriae with particular reference to: Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis;
· Enterobacteriaceae with particular reference to those exogenously acquired (Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia and Yersinia spp.) and to the opportunistic endogenous species (E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Proteus spp., Enterobacter spp., etc.);
· Mycobacteria with particular reference to: Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, M. ulcerans, M. leprae, M. avium intracellulare;
· Aerobic and anaerobic actinomycetes with particular reference to: Nocardia spp. and Actinomyces spp.;
· Gram-positive bacilli with particular reference to: Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Listeria monocytogenes;
· Spore-forming Gram-positive bacilli with particular reference to: Bacillus anthracis, B. cereus, Clostridioides difficile, Clostridium botulinum, C. perfringens and C. tetani;
· Pseudomonadaceae with particular reference to: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia spp., and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia;
· Gram negative bacilli with particular reference to: Acinetobacter spp., Campylobacter spp., Helicobacter pylori, Legionella pneumophila and Vibrio cholerae;
· Spiral bacteria with particular reference to: Treponema pallidum, Borrelia burgdorferi and Leptospira spp.;
· Mycoplasmas with particular reference to: Mycoplasma pneumoniae, M. genitalium, M. hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum;
· Obligate intracellullar bacteria with particular reference to: Chlamydia trachomatis, Clamydiophila pneumoniae, C. psittaci, Coxiella spp., Ehrlichia spp., Rickettsia spp.

Main families, replication modalities, pathogenesis of infections related to:
· DNA viruses: Herpesviridae, Adenoviridae, Parvovirus B19, Papillomaviridae; Polyomaviridae, Poxviridae,
· RNA viruses: Orthomyxoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Flaviviridae, Picornaviridae, Togaviridae, Coronaviridae, Reoviridae;
· Primary hepatitis viruses: HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV, HEV;
· Retroviridae: HIV, HTLV.

Morphological, cultural and pathogenic characteristics of:
· yeast-like fungi with particular reference to Candida spp., Cryptococcus spp.;
· filamentous fungi with particular reference to Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp., Mucorales and dermatophytes;
· dimorphic fungi.

Morphological characteristics, mode of reproduction and pathogenesis of infections sustained by:
· Pathogenic amoebae,
· Giardia lamblia, Trichomonas vaginalis, Trypanosoma spp., Leishmania spp.,
· Sporozoa: Plasmodium spp., Toxoplasma gondii.

Life cycle, pathogenesis and control of the main helminths involved in human diseases with particular reference to: Cestodes, Nematodes and Trematodes.

Practical activities
· Cultures and isolation of bacteria
· Biochemical tests for bacterial identification
· Dilution and plating of biological samples to determine the bacterial load
· Performing the antibiogram
· Reading of identification tests
· Colony count for the determination of bacterial load
· Reading and interpretation of the antibiogram