Microbiology

The general objective of the course is to transmit to the students the basic knowledge related to microbes of medical interest so that they can use them in the approach to infections and diseases that they will encounter during their training and subsequently in their professional practice. In particular, the following summarized knowledge will be provided:
- Structural, molecular and replicative characteristics of the main viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, with particular regard to the factors that regulate their multiplication, and, where relevant, growth, metabolic activities and the possible production of virulence factors.
- Deepening of the concept of microbial evolution and evaluation of its impact in the prevalence changes of different infectious agents over time, in populations and in the various phases of life and setting of the human host (communities, communities, hospitals) ..
- Framework and classification of the transmission modalities of the various infectious agents and the possible different evolutions of the infections (latent, persistent and chronic) as well as their relationship with the tissue tropism and the pathogenetic mechanisms.
- Relationship between microorganisms and host in human infections and definition of disease determinants with particular attention to the role of microbial characteristics and host defense mechanisms.
- Framework and definition of the most important cultural, serological and molecular methodologies for laboratory diagnosis of infections.
- The course will include practical exercises through which students will participate in the cultivation, verification of growth and identification of the bacteria examined.

The knowledge acquired through the course of Microbiology will allow the students to have a clear idea of the characteristics of microbes, and in this way to be able to quickly frame the level of the potential risk of infection and / or disease for patients, to associate microorganisms based on shared characteristics and understanding their differences. This will allow them, for the infectious agents already known or for those that will be discovered in the years to come, to orient them in the complex path of proposing a diagnosis, choosing the methods to confirm it and to evaluate the meaning of the same.
Specifically, the main skills acquired by students at the end of the course are summarized below:
- ability to indicate for each of the microorganisms studied the position in the classification, the structure, the morphology, the genomic organization, the replicative modalities and the pathogenetic mechanisms.
- ability to identify the most appropriate diagnostic approaches in general, and for each micro-organism, in order to prevent their spread, promote timely therapeutic intervention and monitor their effects.
- ability to identify for each microorganism the possibilities and tools to prevent infections and to treat any pathologies caused by them, having acquired the elements of knowledge on the mechanisms of action of the main classes of antimicrobial drugs and of the different types of vaccines and of specific passive immunity.