Title
Pharmaceutical Microbiology
Code
PY236 now changed to BY226
Level
5
Credit rating
20 credits
Pre-requisites
Essential Cell Biology and Biochemistry
Type
Extensive
Aims
Learning outcomes
 To provide information about microbial growth and culture necessary
for an understanding of microbial properties and behaviour relevant to
pharmaceutical and medical microbiology.
 To illustrate the ways in which micro-organisms are exploited for the
purpose of producing or assessing the activity/toxicity of medicinal
products.
 To inculcate the necessary awareness and knowledge of safety related
to the handling of micro-organisms.
On completion of this module the student should be able to:



apply a range of specialized skills to demonstrate the
practical ability necessary for the safe handling,
identification and enumeration of micro-organisms.

analyse and evaluate a cloning strategy for a named gene of
pharmaceutical importance, and exercise judgement on the
importance of large scale nucleic acid and protein analysis in a
pharmaceutical context.
exercise judgement on the development of biotechnology-based
diagnostic products.

Content
analyse and demonstrate an understanding of the structure and
physiology of a range of different types of micro-organisms.
evaluate the means by which micro-organisms can be utilised for
the production of medicines.
This module comprises 36 hours of lectures, 24 hours of laboratory
coursework, supported by 86 hours of guided study.
Theory – Lectures
Laboratory safety in microbiology.
Microbial characteristics and growth: bacterial morphology and
staining. Bacterial spores and heat resistance; the importance of
spores in pharmacy and medicine. Typical composition and uses of
chemically defined and complex media. Methods for cultivation of
bacteria and yeasts/moulds. Identification and enumeration of
bacteria: selective and enrichment media. Novel diagnostic
technologies (e.g. microarrays, VITEK, MALDI-TOFF-MS). Methods
for total and viable counts of micro-organisms and their application
to pharmaceutical products. Viruses and tissue culture: terminology,
virus morphology, classification, characteristics and cultivation
methods. Tissue culture methods, media and applications.
Mycology: characterisation of pharmaceutically and medically
important fungi. Important mycoses, e.g. dermatophyte infections
and candidiasis. Microbial growth characteristics, batch culture and
in large scale fermentations. Theory of continuous and semicontinuous culture processes and how they may be used to increase
yields of secondary metabolites. Commercial production of penicillin
and production of high-yielding strains of Penicillium chrysogenum.
Biotechnology: introduction to biotechnology: microbial
biotransformations; types of products which can be produced by
micro-organisms. Microbial transformation of steroids.
Cloning strategies for genes of pharmaceutical importance; gene
cloning and gene therapy; industrially relevant cloning strategies;
downstream processing, examples of successful cloning
programmes. Impact of DNA chips, genomic and proteomic
technologies on pharmaceutical biotechnology and novel diagnostic
products; impact of high-throughput DNA sequencing. Novel
antibody production technologies, hybrid, single domain, minimum
binding unit, humanized and genetically engineered antibodies and
their potential applications. Advantages as targeting moieties. Phage
display libraries as production factories. Cell based biotechnologies,
plant and animal cell culture techniques; use of mammalian cell lines
in industry; tissue engineering.
Coursework (24 hours)
The coursework programme may include the following
manipulative laboratory exercises.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Sources of microbial contamination.
Principles of microbial enumeration.
Pharmacopoeial methods for the detection of specified
organisms.
Bacterial endospores; germination and heat resistance.
DNA plasmid extraction and restriction/RT-PCR with CAL
package.
Computer based biotechnology exercise
Guided study
Students are required to read and learn certain items in advance of
laboratory classes and to complete lecture materials. These materials
are clearly set out in the laboratory schedules and can be examined
by means of question sheets during the course of the laboratory
session. For examples, students are required to read and complete
identification tables prior the laboratory class on Pharmacopoeial
methods for the detection of specified organisms.
Further aspects of the theory syllabus which students will be
required to study on their own initiative will be detailed on Student
Central.
Teaching and learning
strategies
A number of different teaching and learning strategies will be
employed in the delivery of this module, including formal lectures
(88 hrs), manipulative laboratory exercises (24 hrs), guided study (86
hrs) and independent study and assessment (66 hours).
Learning support
Texts
Hugo and Russell’s Pharmaceutical Microbiology (7th ed, 2004), SP
Denyer, NA Hodges and S Gorman, Blackwell Science.
Pharmaceutics: the Science of Dosage Form Design. Aulton, ME (2nd
ed, 2002) Churchill Livingstone.
Collins and Lyne’s Microbiological Methods, Collins, CH, Lyne, PM,
Grange, JM and Falkinham JO (8th ed, 2004) Arnold.
Microbial Biotechnology: Fundamentals of Applied Microbiology,
Glazer, AN and Nikaido, H (1995) Freeman.
Specific readings from Trends in Biotechnology, Trends in Genetics
and Trends in Immunology (the list of reading material will be
placed on the Studentcentral and appropriate copies placed on desk
loan in the library).
Assessment
This unit of study will be assessed by: continuous assessment of
manipulative laboratory exercises (40%), one unseen phase test of 1
hour (40%) including MCQs and short questions and one unseen
phase test of 40 minutes (20%) including MCQs and short questions.
There will be a threshold of 35% for the manipulative laboratory
exercises and of 35% for the aggregated phase tests.
Brief description of module
This module builds in part upon the information contained in the
Foundation Biology module and gives students a more in-depth
understanding of the structure and function of micro-organisms and the
ways in which they can be exploited for clinical benefit. It also contains
features of microbiology which, traditionally, are of practical interest and
concern in pharmacy (i.e. the means by which microbial growth can be
restricted or prevented). Finally it seeks to provide the student with an
insight into the current and potential applications of the so-called 'new
biology' to the pharmaceutical industry.
Area Examination Board
MPharm Biological Sciences
Module leaders
Professor G W Hanlon
Semester offered
1
Site where delivered
Moulsecoomb
Date of first approval
January 2003
Date of approval of this
version
April 2005
Version number
3
Replacement for previous
module
PY225, PY424
Course(s) for which module
is acceptable and status in
course
MPharm. Compulsory
School home
School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences
External examiner
Professor Chowdrey