Ateneo - UPO

The course will deal with the description of microrganisms responsible for human intoxications or used for food manufacturing. Moreover, the course aims to provide students with specialized skills concerning the food safety guidelines.

Stephen J. Forsythe
“The Microbiology of safe food” (second edition)
Ed.: Wiley- Blackwell

Building a mental model that allows understanding, having acquired the morphological, structural, biochemical and pathogenic characteristics of microorganisms, the mechanisms of action underlying the pathogenesis and the identification techniques currently used in the microbiology laboratory.

The student should have knowledge of cell biology and general microbiology.

Lectures will be held with slide presentations and multimedia material. All the slides will be available to the students on the DIR platform. This material is to be considered integrative of the textbook and never its substitute.
The course includes visits to companies and analysis laboratories.
Reading, discussion and presentation of scientific articles.

In itinere exams are not planned.

The examination consists of a written exam and an oral presentation.
The written exam is designed to assess the student's ability to apply the knowledge acquired during the course. It consists of four open-ended questions, each worth a maximum of 6.5 points, for a total of 26 points.
The oral presentation must focus on an innovative topic in the field of medical, environmental, or nutritional microbiology. The presentation contributes up to 5 points to the final grade.
The final grade is calculated as the sum of the scores obtained in the written exam and the oral presentation, for a maximum of 31 points, corresponding to 30 cum laude.
The examination is considered passed with a final score of at least 18/30. Grades are expressed on a 30-point scale and reflect the student's level of preparation, completeness of knowledge, ability to apply the acquired concepts, and appropriate use of scientific terminology.
During the written examination, students are not permitted to consult textbooks, notes, electronic devices, or any other multimedia resources.

Brief review on human microbioma and microorganisms used for food production.
Foodborne and waterborne pathogens responsible for human intoxications:
Bacteria: Campylobacter, Salmonella, Escherichia Coli, Shigella, Staphylococcus Aureus, Yersinia enterocolitica, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium Difficile, Bacillus Cereus, Vibrio Cholerae, Vibrio vulnificus, Brucella..
Virus: Hepatitis A virus, Hepatitis E virus, Rotavirus, Enterovirus, Norovirus.
Parasites: Anisakis, Toxoplasma gondii, Giardia Lamblia, Taenia.
Toxins: Aflatoxins.
Prions
Food safety guidelines (HACCP)
Methods of detection and characterization of foodborne and waterborne infections.

Acquisition of in-depth knowledge about microbiology in the nutrition field. Acquisition of an appropriate scientific language. Ability to use the supplied material for a critical and reasoned study.