General Microbiology, Biology 251
Fall, 2013
Syllabus Section 1001
Professor: Pete Bagley
Great Basin College
Office: Lundberg Hall 128
Phone: 753-2229
E-mail: peter.bagley@gbcnv.edu
Office Hours: T, W & Th, 10:00am-12:00am.
Lecture Reading Assignments and Exam Dates
Chapter
Topic
1
Introduction
3
Microscopy
4
Functional Anatomy of Cells
5
Microbial Metabolism
Exam I, Wednesday, Sept 18
6
7
10
11
12
Microbial Growth
Control of Microbial Growth
Classification
Prokaryotes
Eukaryotic Microbes
Exam II, Wednesday, Oct 16
13
14
15
16
17
Viruses
Disease and Epidemiology
Pathogenicity
Nonspecific Host Defenses
Immune Response
Exam III, Wednesday, Nov 13
19
20
21 - 26
27
Immune System Disorders
Antimicrobial Drugs
Selected Pathogens & Diseases
Environmental Microbiology
Final Exam, Monday, Dec 9
Reading assignments and exam dates are tentative, and may be changed at the discretion of the
instructor. Any changes will be announced in class.
Text: Microbiology, an Introduction. 10th ed. Tortora, Funke, & Case.
ISBN 13: 978-0-321-55007-1
Lab Manual: MicrobiologyLaboratory Theory & Application, Brief. 2010, 2nd ed. Leboffe &
Pierce. ISBN 13: 978-0-89582-947-4
Grading System and Miscellaneous Policies:
The grade for this course will be based on two components: performance in lecture; and
laboratory. They will be weighted 70% for the lecture, and 30% for the lab.
The lecture grade will be based on four, one hour exams, worth 100 points each. These exams
are not comprehensive.
The lab grade will be based on two practical exams worth 100 points each; Four reports worth
20 points each. Finally, 20 points of the lab total will be based on my technical evaluation of
your proficiency in the laboratory as well as the quality of your laboratory notebook. Staining,
aseptic technique, use and care of equipment, are some of the factors that will be judged.
Excessive tardiness/absences and careless behavior will also be factored into the technical
evaluation.
Attendance in lab is mandatory, there will be no make up labs.
The grading scale is as follows:
90 - 100% = A
80 - 89% = B
70 - 79% = C
60 - 69% = D
> 60% = F
Note: The official course drop deadline is October 28. After this date I will be unable
to enter a grade of ‘W.’
All exams and lab practicals will be held on the dates listed in the syllabus. Any changes to that
schedule will be announced in class well in advance. Missing an exam due to personal reasons
or illness must be approved in advance if possible, or by contacting me within 24 hours of the
exam in the case of emergency. Make up exams will be allowed and scheduled at my discretion.
Lab practicals are difficult to set up. As a result, make up lab practicals will only be scheduled in
unusual circumstances. In these cases the format of the exam may change. Do not miss lab
practicals!
Attendance will not be taken, but be advised: Regular attendance is the single most important
thing you can do to get and maintain a good grade.
Lab Schedule
Lab #
1
Date__
Exercise
Topic
Aug 30
Introduction
1-4
3-1
3-4
Pages 154-157
Aseptic Method of Transfer
Microscope
Simple Stains
Bacterial Shapes
2
Sept 6
3-6
3-7
Gram Stain
Acid-Fast Stain
Demo Slides: Flagella; Endospore; Capsule
3
Sept 13
1-3
1-5
2-3
2-4
2-2
Preparing Culture Media
Streak Plates
Agar Slants
Broth Cultures
Colony Morphology (read only)
4
Sept 20
4-3
2-8
2-10
2-7
Mannitol Salt Agar
Effects of Temperature
Osmotic Effects
O2 - Anaerobe Jar
5
Sept 27
5-2
5-11
5-14
5-7
Acid and Gas Production
From Fermentation
Degradation of Polysaccharides
Degradation of Protein
Differential Utilization of Citrate
Oct 4
5-3
Handout
7-2
Methyl-Red & Voges-Proskauer Tests
Indole Production
Antibiotic Evaluation
Oct 11
Lab Exam I
6
Lab Schedule
Lab #
Date
Exercise
Topic
Oct 18
Handout
5-4
5-23
5-21
Unknown Identification
Catalase Activity
Coagulase
Hemolysis of Red Blood Cells
Oct 25
No Lab
8
Nov 1
7-1
Snyder Test
Handout
Litmus milk
Handout
Effects of Hand Washing
Unknown Identification Continues
9
Nov 8
7-6
Detecting Coliforms in Water
8-3
Transformation - pGLO
Unknown Identification Continues
10
Nov 15
7-6
Detecting Coliforms in Water
8-2
UV
Unknown Identification Continues
11
Nov 22
Hand out
Phage Assay
Unknown Identification Continues
Nov 25
No Lab
Dec 6
Hand out
Eukaryotic Microbes
Unknown Identification Ends
7
12
Dec 11 (Wednesday of finals week) Lab Exam II
Always read the lab exercise ahead of time. Knowing the procedure allows the excise to go more
smoothly and quickly.
Important: Lab is scheduled on Fridays, but many exercises will require that
observations be taken on cultures within 48 hours. This will require your coming
into lab on Monday to make those observations.
Lab Reports
There will be 4 lab reports to complete for this course. The reports must be typed, double
spaced. The reports should follow the following outline:
Introduction Give the background to the topic. Why is it important? Briefly explain what you
are going to do in the experiment (i.e., state the Objective of the experiment).
Procedures Explain what organisms, materials and methods were used in the experiments. How
did you do it?
Results Present the results. Point out key or unexpected results.
Conclusion What was the significance of your results? Explain the importance of the
experiment, and whether or not your outcome was consistent with what was expected.
Tables, graphs, etc. may be helpful. Do not remove pages from your manual. While this is not
an English class, bear in mind that correct grammar and spelling are important, and deductions
will be made for excessive mistakes in these areas.
Note that one of the write ups are based on more than one exercise. This does not mean that you
should write a report for each exercise, rather, the exercises chosen are thematically related. So
the report should blend the topics into a single report.
Assignment
1
Stains and Staining
(Ex 3-4, 3-6, & 3-7)
Date Due_______
Friday, Sept 20
2
Antibiotic Evaluation
(Ex 7-2)
Friday, Oct 18
3
Hand Washing Experiment
Friday, Nov 15
4
Identification of Unknown
Monday, Dec 9
Lab Notebook
Keeping an accurate permanent record of lab activities is at the heart of science. Random notes
on scraps of paper are a guarantee of confusion and poor performance. Use a single bound
notebook, a composition book or spiral bound is fine. Remember that your lab notebook will be
exposed to many microbes and chemical reagents, so keeping it separate from your lecture notes
is a very good idea. Your notebook should contain enough detail so that another person could
understand and repeat your work. Procedures that you will use repeatedly (gram stains, MR-VP,
etc.) are good to have in your notebook. Make your notes as you go along, don’t try to
reconstruct details from memory. In some cases amounts, volumes, and calculations are essential
things to record. A notebook is a good place to sketch out graphs or tables before writing up
your lab reports. Key observations such as reactions of specific microbes to stains or metabolic
tests can be quite useful when working on your unknown microbe. Do not rewrite your notes to
make them ‘prettier.’ Science is a messy process!
Extra Credit
Extra credit points are available for anyone with the energy and courage to take advantage of
them. Up to 20 points can be added to your lecture score by writing a brief, informal research
paper on one of the following diseases, and then presenting a summary to the class. The oral
presentation does not affect the grading, but is a means of sharing interesting and curious
information. The paper should be approximately 4 pages long, typed, double spaced with no
typos or grammatical errors.
Dread Diseases:
Hepatitis B or C
Influenza
SARS
Cholera
Typhoid Fever
Rabies
Tetanus
Genital Herpes
AIDS/HIV
Gonorrhea
Elephantiasis
Syphilis
Chlamydia
Anthrax
Influenza
Yellow Fever
West Nile Fever
Amoebic Meningoencephalitis
Dengue Fever
Necrotizing fasciitis
Ebola/Hemorrhagic Fever
Beaver Fever
Viral Meningitis
Tuberculosis
E. coli Food Poisoning
Brucellosis
‘Mad Cow Disease’/Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Hanta virus
Small Pox
Monkey Pox
Polio
Measles
MRSA
Catalog Description:
BIOL 251 General Microbiology (4) A laboratory and lecture course emphasizing taxonomy,
morphology, physiology, infectious diseases, and ecology of microorganisms in addition to skills
in aseptic procedures, isolation, and identification. Open to all life science majors and allied
health majors. Prerequisite: BIOL 190 or equivalent.
Course Objectives:


To provide a strong basis of microbiological knowledge including: the characteristics and
classification of microbes; microbial metabolism; microbes and disease; molecular genetics;
and interactions between microbes and the environment.
In the laboratory component, students will acquire a working knowledge of sterile techniques,
media preparation, staining, microbial metabolism, and the isolation and identification of
microbes. This knowledge base will be directly applied to the analysis of a variety of hands
Method of Instruction:
Live lecture and laboratory. Lecture may be presented via IAV.
Expected Learner Outcomes:
Students will be able to apply knowledge and skills gained in a variety of situations: use of
aseptic technique in clinical and laboratory environments; identification of unknown organisms;
evaluation of risks associated with a variety of pathogenic microbes; comprehension of molecular
genetics and biotechnology; of the basic factual content of biology, including relevant principles
of chemistry, physics, and geology. Beyond this factual base, students will be expected to
comprehend this information sufficiently to analyze and evaluate simple biologic situations that
have not been directly explicated in lecture or laboratory.
Measurement of Expected Learner Outcomes:
Students will be assessed with three distinct tools: multiple choice lecture exams; laboratory
practical exams; and a written report on a laboratory experience. The lecture exams are designed
to test the students ability to recall matters stated in lecture and the text, define key terms, and
use concepts in a meaningful way. Laboratory practicals will asses both visual and textural
recall, as well as provide the opportunity for analysis and evaluation of concepts introduced in
lab with lecture information. The lab report will asses how well students have comprehended
and synthesized a key laboratory experience, as well as their ability to communicate these
concepts via the written word.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
Great Basin College is committed to providing equal educational opportunities to qualified
students with disabilities in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations, including the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. A
qualified student must furnish current verification of disability. The Director of Services for
Students with Disabilities (Julie G. Byrnes) will assist qualified students with disabilities in
securing the appropriate and reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids and services. For more
information or further assistance, please call 775-753-2271.
Academic Honesty Statement
Great Basin College considers academic honesty one of its highest values. A student who
obtains academic credit for work that is not the product of his or her own effort is being
dishonest and undermining the academic integrity of the college. Students are expected to be the
sole authors of their work. Use of another’s ideas must be accompanied by specific citation and
reference. In addition, a learner may not submit the same work for credit in more than one
course. The disciplinary consequences of plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty
include non-acceptance of work submitted, a failing grade in the course, and/or or other
disciplinary action as outlined in Great Basin College’s Student Conduct Policy.
This syllabus does not in any way represent a contract. It is a reflection of the intent of the
instructor, but do recognize that it is an organic construct that may change as the semester
progresses. Any changes will be announced in class.