Course outline
Code: LFS262
Title: Medical Microbiology
Faculty of: Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Teaching Session: Semester 2
Year: 2015
Course Coordinator: A/Prof. Mohammad Katouli Tel: 5430 2845 Email: mkatouli@usc.edu.au
Course Moderator: Dr David McMillan, Tel: 545658523, E-mail: divid.mcmillan@usc.edu.au
1.
What is this course about?
1.1
Course description
Medical microbiology describes the relationships between microbes and our lives. This includes harmful as
well as beneficial effects of microorganisms. You will learn about the infectious diseases, their aetiology
and clinical manifestation, routes of transmission, treatment and techniques in detection and identification
of pathogenic microorganisms. The course investigates microbial diseases of the skin, digestive tract,
respiratory, urinary, reproductive, nervous and cardiovascular systems. The practical sessions of the course
focuses on the isolation and identification procedures of pathogenic microorganisms in clinical samples and
their antibiotic susceptibility.
1.2
Course content
The course covers microbial diseases of the skin, digestive tract, respiratory, urinary, reproductive, nervous
and cardiovascular systems.
2.
Unit value
12 units
Version Semester 2 2015
Recfind File Number: F14929
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Course Outline: LFS262 Medical Microbiology
3.
How does this course contribute to my learning?
On successful completion of this course
you should be able to:
You will be assessed on the
learning outcome in task/s:
Completing these tasks
successfully will contribute
to you becoming:
Identify, describe and analyse the
beneficial and deleterious effects of
natural microbiota of each body site.
1a (Early quiz), 1b (Midsemester exam ) and Task 2
(Oral presentation)
Knowledgeable.
Analyse and evaluate data regarding
pathogens and their pathogenic attributes,
mechanisms host immune responses to
infectious diseases as well as mechanism of
action and function of antibiotics
List the aetiology of the most
communicable diseases and their products
Describe the rationale and the basis of
strategies that are used for prevention,
control and treatment of infectious
diseases.
Identifying and apply techniques that are
used for laboratory isolation, identification
and characterisation of pathogenic
microorganisms
Describe major mechanisms of interactions
between microbe and human host and
different stages of and forms of diseases
caused by microorganisms
Task 1b(Mid-semester exam)
Knowledgeable.
Task 3 (Final exam)
Knowledgeable.
Tasks 2 (Oral presentation)
and Task 3 (Final exam)
Empowered.
Task 1c (Practical lab exam)
Empowered.
Task 3 (Final exam)
Knowledgeable
4.
Am I eligible to enrol in this course?
Refer to the Undergraduate Coursework Programs and Awards - Academic Policy for definitions of “prerequisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”
4.1
Enrolment restrictions
Nil
4.2
Pre-requisites
MBT263 or LFS261 or MEP263
4.3
Co-requisites
Nil
4.4
Anti-requisites
MEP252 or MEP253 or MBT253
4.5
Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (optional)
General knowledge about the structure of microorganisms, their growth requirement as well as basic skills
in cultivation and aseptic transfer of bacteria
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Course Outline: LFS262 Medical Microbiology
5.
How am I going to be assessed?
5.1
Grading scale
Standard – High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL)
5.2
Assessment tasks
Task LFS262
No. Assessment Tasks
Individual
or Group
1a
1b
1c
2
3
Early quiz
Mid Semester
exam
Practical lab exam
Oral presentation
Final exam
When should I
submit?
Where should I
submit it?
Individual
Individual
Weighting What is the
%
duration /
length?
Formative 20 minutes
25%
1 hour
Week 4
Week 7
In class
In class
Individual
Group
Individual
25%
20%
30%
Week 10
Weeks 11-12
End of semester
In tutorial class
In tutorial classes
Exams’ venue
1 hour
12 minutes
2 hours
100%
Assessment Task 1a: Early quiz
Goal:
To give you feedback and assess your ability to describe how an infectious disease develops and
spreads in the community and a hospital setting and how the science of epidemiology helps to
identify the routes of spreading infection.
Product: Quiz
Format:
A 20 minute, in class multiple choice quiz
Criteria
Correctly describe how pathogens enter the body, cause infection and spread in the community
or in the hospital and identify the vectors and the mechanism of transmission of infectious
diseases.
Accurately describe the importance of normal microflora and immune system of the host to
combat pathogens
Generic skill assessed
Skill assessment level
Problem solving
Developing
Assessment Task 1b: Mid Semester exam
Goal:
To assess your ability to understand the basic mechanisms by which microbes interact with
the host, host immune response towards microbial infection, routes of disease transmission,
principal of antimicrobial agents and their mechanism of action
Product: exam
Format:
A 1 hour, in class multiple choice questions
Criteria
Accurately describe major mechanisms of interactions between microbe and human host.
Describe the rationale and the basis of strategies that are used for prevention, control and
treatment of infectious diseases.
Correctly list the aetiology of common communicable diseases and their products.
Generic skill assessed
Skill assessment level
Problem solving
Developing
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Course Outline: LFS262 Medical Microbiology
Assessment Task 1c: Practical lab exam
To assess your knowledge of the theory that underpins the practical procedures required for performing
Goal:
and processing microbiological tests, safely and professionally, in a clinical Microbiology laboratory. .
Product:
Format:
Criteria
Practical lab exam
This 1 hour assessment will be in the format of short essay and multiple choice questions
Evidence of applying microbiological knowledge to laboratory
techniques that are commonly used for isolation, identification and characterisation of
pathogenic microorganisms
Generic skill assessed
Skill assessment level
Applying technologies
Graduate
Problem solving
Developing
Assessment Task 2: Oral presentation
Goal:
To assess your ability to professionally introduce a selected infectious disease to a scientific
audience and within a time limit
Product: Oral presentation
Format:
You will be working as a team (2-3 per team). Presentation will be in the format of a power
point (with or without video clip) describing the aetiology of the disease, clinical manifestation
of the disease, epidemiology and routes of transmission, laboratory identification, treatment
and prevention of the disease, all within 12 minutes. All members of the team should
contribute to the oral presentation equally and present equally.
Criteria
Scientific contents of the presentation:
1- Comprehensive description of the aetiology of the disease, its identification procedure and
clinical manifestation of the disease, 2-Description of the disease epidemiology and rational
strategies for prevention, control and treatment
Communication (visual and oral)
Evidence of collaboration and organisation of presentation
Generic skill assessed
Skill assessment level
Communication
Developing
Collaboration
Developing
Assessment Task 3: Final exam
Goal:
To assess your ability to identify the aetiology of infectious diseases and their characteristics as
well as describing clinical manifestation, routes of transmission and treatment of infectious
diseases of the human body systems
Product: Exam
Format:
The exam will be based on the materials covered in lectures as described in the prescribed text
book between weeks 7 and 13). The exam questions will be a combination of multiple choice,
fill-in and short answer questions and will be during the examination period at the end of
semester for 2 hours.
Criteria
Accurately describe major mechanisms of interactions between microbe and human host
Describe the rationale and the basis of strategies that are used for prevention, control and
treatment of infectious diseases
Correctly list the aetiology of common communicable diseases and their products
Generic skill assessed
Skill assessment level
Problem solving
Developing
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Course Outline: LFS262 Medical Microbiology
5.3
Additional assessment requirements
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%
b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
c) You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct
Blackboard
As a student enrolled in this course you will have access to course information on the Blackboard site. You
are strongly recommended to log onto the course site on a regular basis. All course announcements,
course changes, posting of course materials and grades (via My Interim Results) will be accessed through
Blackboard. It is your responsibility to ensure you have adequate internet access (either off campus or oncampus) in order to access Blackboard regularly and to complete required assessment tasks.
Safe Assign
In order to minimise incidents of plagiarism and collusion, this course may require that some of its
assessment tasks are submitted electronically via Safe Assign. This software allows for text comparisons to
be made between the students submitted assessment item and all other work that Safe Assign has access
to. If required, details of how to submit via Safe Assign will be provided on the Blackboard site of the
course.
5.4
Submission penalties
Late submission of assessment tasks will be penalised at the following maximum rate:
 5% (of the assessment task’s identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified
as the due date for the assessment task.
 10% (of the assessment task’s identified value) for the third day
 20% (of the assessment task’s identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and
including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task.
 A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date
identified as the due date for the assessment task.
Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late.
To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.
6. How is the course offered?
6.1
Directed study hours
4 hours/week (i.e. 2 hours lectures, 1 hour tutorial and 1 hour practical/week)*
* Practicals are presented as a block of 4 successive days (3 hours each) during the intra-semester break
6.2
Teaching semester/session(s) offered
Semester 2, 2013
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Course Outline: LFS262 Medical Microbiology
6.3
Course activities
Teaching
Week /
Module
What key concepts/content will I learn?
W1
Introduction to Pathogens and
Communicable Diseases
Principles of disease and epidemiology
W2
Introduction to Pathogens and
Communicable Diseases
Nosocomial Infections and outbreak
investigation
Microbial mechanism of pathogenicity
(How microbes enter a host and damage
host cells)
Innate immunity
(Non-specific defences of the host)
W3
W4
What activities will I engage in to learn the
concepts/content?
Directed Study Activities
Independent Study
Activities
1-An introduction to the
Tutorial questions and
course
self-assessment using text
2- Video film: Introducing book website
pathogens
3-Lecture (Chapter 14)
Lecture (Chapter 14) plus Tutorial questions and
extra reading on normal
self-assessment quizzes
microflora
using text book website
Lecture/ Chapter 15
1-Early formative quiz (20
minutes)
2- Video film (Human
Defences)
3-Lecture (Chapter 16
1-Lecture /Chapter 20
2-Video film (antibiotics)
W5
Antimicrobial drugs
(Antimicrobial drugs and their spectrum)
W6
Human diseases caused by
microorganisms
(Microbial diseases of the skin and eye)
1-Mid-semester exam
2-Human diseases caused by
microorganisms
(Infections of the respiratory system-1)
(Infections of the respiratory system-2)
Lecture /Chapter 21
W9
(Microbial diseases of the digestive
system-Section 1)
Lecture/ Chapter 25
Intrasemester
Break
1- Microbiota of the skin and
identification of G+ skin bacteria,
(application of Microbact 12S kit)
2- Identification of pathogenic G- gut
pathogens (Application of the IMViC and
API-20E- tests)
3- Microbiological analysis of clinical
samples (Use of selective media). Typing
of bacteria and antibiotic susceptibility
tests.
Practical classes
W7
W8
Lecture/ Chapter 24
Lecture/ Chapter 24
Tutorial questions and
self-assessment quizzes
using text book website
Tutorial questions and
self-assessment quizzes
using text book website
Tutorial questions and
self-assessment quizzes
using text book website
Tutorial questions and
self-assessment quizzes
using text book website
Tutorial questions and
self-assessment quizzes
using text book website
Tutorial questions and
self-assessment quizzes
using text book website
Tutorial questions and
self-assessment quizzes
using text book website
Study for practical lab
quiz
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Course Outline: LFS262 Medical Microbiology
W10
W11
W12
W13
4-Staining bacterial spores and capsules
and microscopic examination of
parasites, class discussion
(Microbial diseases of the digestive
system
Section 2)
Microbial diseases of the Urinary and
Reproductive systems
(Microbial diseases of the nervous
system)
(Diseases of cardiovascular and
lymphatic system
Lecture /Chapter 25
Practical lab exam
followed by tutorial
Lecture/ Chapter 26
Oral presentation
Lecture /Chapter 22
Oral presentation
followed by tutorials
Tutorial questions and
self-assessment quizzes
using text book website
Lecture/Chapter 23
Please note that the course activities may be subject to variation.
7. What resources do I need to undertake this course?
7.1
Prescribed text(s)
Please note that you need to have regular access to the resource(s) listed below:
Author
Tortora G.J, Funke B.R. and Case C.L.
7.2
Year
2013
Title
Microbiology, an introduction
Publisher
Pearson International Edition.
11th edition
Required and recommended readings
See blackboard
7.3
Specific requirements
It is the responsibility of students to attend practical classes on time and have lab coat and proper clothing
e.g. proper shoes. Students who do not have lab coat or proper shoes will not be allowed to enter the
practical lab classes.
7.4
Risk management
Students must read and take the online risk assessment test before starting practical classes and hand a
print out of the successful risk assessment test to the course coordinator
8.
How can I obtain help with my studies?
In the first instance you should contact your tutor, then the Course Coordinator. Student Life and Learning
provides additional assistance to all students through Peer Advisors and Academic Skills Advisors. You can
drop in or book an appointment. To book: Tel: +61 7 5430 1226 or Email:
studentlifeandlearning@usc.edu.au
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Course Outline: LFS262 Medical Microbiology
9.
Links to relevant University policies and procedures
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
•
Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
•
Review of Assessment and Final Grades
•
Supplementary Assessment
•
Administration of Central Examinations
•
Deferred Examinations
•
Student Academic Misconduct
•
Students with a Disability
http://www.usc.edu.au/university/governance-and-executive/policies-and-procedures#academic-learningand-teaching
10. Faculty specific information
General enquiries and student support
Faculty Student Support Office
Tel: +61 7 5430 2869
Fax: +61 7 5456 5010
Email: SHEinfo@usc.edu.au