Ateneo - UPO

The course is composed of two parts. The first part is focused on the following topics:
- Structure and function of the prokaryotic cell
- Kinetic of microbial growth
- Nutritional requirements of bacteria
- Environmental effects on microbial growth
- Cultivation of bacteria in the laboratory
- Control of microbial growth
- Duplication and expression of the prokaryotic genome
- Horizontal gene transfer
The second part addresses the following themes:
- Features of microbial metabolism
- Virus: structure and replication cycle of bacterial and animal viruses
- Human-microorganism interaction: colonization and virulence factors
- Antimicrobial drugs: mechanisms of action and resistance.

- Brock Biology of Microorganisms (14th Edition) Published by Benjamin Cummings, 2014 ISBN-13: 978-0321897398

The course aims to provide students with adequate information and basic knowledge on the biology of microorganisms from the point of view of cellular, metabolic and genetic organization, on the peculiarities of these aspects and on the similarities with other living beings.
In particular, the objectives of the course will be:
- provide students with theoretical knowledge and understanding of the biology of microorganisms such as the structure and functions of prokaryotic cell components, the genetics of microorganisms, the basic understanding of the most relevant classes of reactions of the microbial metabolism and the interaction of microorganisms with the natural environment;
- to provide students with the basis for the understanding of the main microorganism/host interaction mechanisms and the phenomena at the origin of microbial pathogenicity; basic knowledge will also be acquired about the major mechanisms of action of the most important classes of antimicrobial drugs and the resistance mechanisms implemented by pathogenic microorganisms.
- to provide both the theoretical knowledge and the instruments for the application of some of the principal methods concerning the microbial growth control, the cultivation, enumeration and identification of microorganisms, the resolution of problems related to microbial counting and the preparation of culture media and solutions for microbiological use.
Final educational aim of the course will be to provide the students with autonomy of judgment on the different topics addressed during the course, knowledge of their possible applications and repercussions in other scientific fields and skills regarding the verbal and written communication through the use of an appropriate technical and scientific language.

Basic knowledge of cell biology that can be acquired in previous school curricula.

The course includes frontal lessons. Some topics will be deepened with videos in English and Italian. Topics of particular interest and relevance will be examined and discussed with the reading of scientific publications.
At the end of the lessons concerning the methodologies for the cultivation and enumeration of microorganisms, classroom exercises will be carried out to verify the acquisition of the calculation methods for microbial count and for the preparation of microbiological use solutions.

The slides of the lectures and additional material are available on the website “Didattica in Rete”: https://www.dir.uniupo.it/

See the general description of the course

- Structure and function of the bacterial cell
Structural morphology and size of the bacterial cell
The cell membrane: structure, function; transport systems
The cell wall of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria
Gram staining
- Microbial locomotion
Flagella, gliding motility, chemotaxis, phototaxis and others
- The surface structures and intracellular inclusions
Fimbriae, pili, capsules, reserve materials, cytoplasmic inclusions, gas vesicles Endospores
-The microbial metabolism:
Glycolysis
Respiration and electron transport chain
The proton motive force
The aerobic and anaerobic respiration
Main types of fermentation
The citric acid cycle
The anabolism: the biosynthesis of key monomers
Biosynthesis of peptidoglycan
-The structure of DNA and DNA replication
- Nutritional types of bacteria
- Environmental effects on microbial growth
Temperature, pH, oxygen.
- Cultivation of microorganisms in the laboratory
Sterilization and disinfection
Complex, selective and/or differential culture media; autoclave sterilization
The aseptic technique (isolation of pure culture)
Identification of a bacterial strain by biochemical methods
- Microbial growth
The binary fission
The growth cycle of a bacterial population (the growth curve)
Continuous-culture: the chemostat system
Direct evaluation of microbial growth: viable-cell count
The indirect methods (turbidity measurement)
Evaluation of the microbial biomass, chemical analysis of a cell component.
- The microbial biofilms
Growth and biological functions
- Principles of molecular biology of microorganisms
Synthesis and processing of RNA, protein synthesis
- Genetic of microorganisms
Transformation
Generalized and specialized transduction
Plasmids
Conjugation
Hfr conjugation and chromosomal transfer
-Control of microbial growth
Sterilization and disinfection: chemical and physical methods for the control of microbial growth
- Principles of virology
Viruses and virions
General properties of viruses (viral structure and classification)
Bacteriophages: virulent phages (phage T4), temperate phages (lambda phage)
The animal viruses: retroviruses, DNA viruses, RNA (+) and RNA (-) viruses
Growth and quantification of bacterial and animal viruses
- Interactions host-microorganism
Positive and egative interactions between microorganisms and human
Virulence factors and bacterial toxins (exotoxins and endotoxins)
- Antimicrobial drugs
The spectrum of antimicrobial activity
Mechanisms of action of antimicrobial drugs
Mechanisms of resistance to antimicrobial drugs

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: At the end of the course, the student will acquire theoretical knowledge and understanding about the biology of microorganisms, in particular the structure and functions of the prokaryotic cells components, their genetics and the basic understanding of the most important classes of reactions of the microbial metabolism. Knowledge will also be acquired about the interaction of organisms with the natural environment; in particular, the effects of physical, chemical and nutritional factors on microbial growth and the response to abiotic stress will be understood.
Moreover, the student will acquire knowledge of the main microorganism/host interaction mechanisms, the phenomena at the origin of microbial pathogenicity; notions relating to the structure and replication mechanisms of bacterial (bacteriophage) and animal viruses will also be acquired. Finally, the student will achieve basic knowledge about the major mechanisms of action of the most important classes of antimicrobial drugs and the resistance mechanisms implemented by pathogenic microorganisms. The course also provides theoretical insights relating to the manipulation of microorganisms (isolation, propagation in culture, selective and differential media, conservation and sterility concept), the microbiological diagnostics, the control of their growth (sterilization methods, treatment with disinfecting agents), their quantification and identification, including the resolution of short exercises and problems in the classroom.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: At the end of the course the student will acquire the instruments for the application of some of the principal methods for cultivation, enumeration and identification of microorganisms, and will be able to solve simple problems related to microbial counting and to the preparation of culture media and solutions for microbiological use.
MAKING JUDGEMENTS, COMMUNICATION AND LEARNING SKILLS: Finally, the student will gain independence of judgment on the different topics addressed during the course, knowledge of their possible applications and repercussions in other scientific fields and skills regarding the verbal and written communication through the use of an appropriate technical and scientific language and of a correct microbiological terminology.