Microbiology and applied microbiology M - Z

• Identify the different types of relationship that micro-organisms and human parasites determine with the host, differentiating the phenomenon "infection" from the "disease".
• Analyze critical factors that determine the "contagion" and the spread of microorganisms and parasites correlating them with their unique biological characteristics.
• Classify the micro-organisms and parasites in the various stages of aggregation of living matter (metazoans, prokaryotes, fungi, viruses), correlating the degree of organization with the pathogenic action.
• According to the structural organization of micro-organisms and parasites, identify the necessary facilities / functions to perform the metabolic processes and replication and to determine the infection / disease in the host.
• Correlate the phenomenon of variation and mutation of microorganisms and parasites with the pathogenic action and resistance to antimicrobial substances.
• Assess the degree of resistance (survival) in the environment of microorganisms and parasites as a critical factor for the host infection.
• Knowing the levels of prevention and protection of the production of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.
• Know the basic principles of self-testing: Sterility, Disinfection, HACCP etc.

Traditional lessons (unless otherwise specified due to the Covid emergency)

The prokaryotic cell

• The organization of the bacterial cell
• The capsule
• The outer membrane and peptidoglycan
• The cytoplasmic membrane
• The pili
• Flagella and bacterial movement
• The cytoplasmic organelles
• The membrane transport and secretion  systems
• Bacterial nucleoid

The bacterial genetics and cell growth

• The notion of genetic information transfer in prokaryotes
• Recombination from eukaryotes to prokaryotes
• Plasmids
• Conjugation
• Transformation
• Transduction
• Mutations

Bacterial metabolism

• Bacterial nutrition and nutritional classification of bacteria
• The glycolytic pathways
• Bacterial respiration
• The fermentative pathways
• Features of autotrophic metabolism
• Culture media and their classification
• Peptidoglycan synthesis
• Protein synthesis
• DNA synthesis

Cell growth and differentiation

• The cell cycle
• The bacterial division
• Vital not cultivable status
• The microbial biofilms
• The spore and spore-forming bacteria

Host-parasite relationships

• Biological associations
• Human microbiota
• Infection sources
• Diseases contagion
• The host response to infection
• Vaccines

Principles of microbiological diagnostic and susceptibility testing

 

• The epidemiology of infectious diseases: general concepts
• Recognition of an infectious disease within a population
• Clinical and diagnostic methods
• Identification of pathogens
• Susceptibility to antibiotics (susceptibility testing)

Special Bacteriology

Taxonomic classification, main characteristics, pathogenicity, infectious diseases, prevention opportunities, diagnostics and chemotherapy of: Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Neisseria, Mycobacterium, Corynebacterium, Lactobacillus, Bacillus, Clostridium, Enterobacteriaceae, Haemophilus, Vibrio, Legionella, Brucella, Bordetella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Helicobacter, Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma, Chlamydiaceae, Rickettsiales, Spirochetales.

The principles of antimicrobial chemotherapy

The main antibiotics: mechanism of action and resistance

Fungi, Protozoa and Helminths

Fungi:

• Characteristics of fungi and their metabolism
• The role of fungi in the environment and industry
• Important fungi from the health point of view
• The main antifungal

Protozoa:

• Characteristics of Protozoa
• The important protozoa from the health point of view
• The main anti-protozoal drugs

Helminths:

• Characteristics of Helminths
• Flatworms: Flukes and Tapeworms
• Nematodes
• The main anti-helmintic drug

Viruses and sub- viral structures

• The organization of the viral particle
• Viral symmetry
• Replicative classes
• Prions
• The bacteriophages
• The antiviral chemotherapy: major agents

Special virology

Taxonomic classification, main characteristics, pathogenicity, infectious diseases, prevention opportunities, diagnostics and chemotherapy of: Poxviridae, Herpesviridae, Adenoviridae, Papillomavirus e Polyomavirus umani, Parvoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Picornaviridae, Arenaviridae,Coronaviridae, Filoviridae, Flaviridae, human retrovirus, Togaviridae, Rhabdoviridae, e Rubivirus, hepatitis (HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV,HEV, HGV)

Infection control: sterilization and disinfection

• Sterilization, disinfection and antisepsis
• Physical sterilization methods (heat, radiations, filtration)
• Chemical sterilization methods (alkylating agents, oxidizing agents)
• Sterility controls (physical indicators, chemical indicators, biological indicators)
• Sterilization applications in the pharmaceutical field and its limits
• Parenteral products
• Products non-parenteral
• Objectives and implementation of the disinfection methods
• Targets and mechanisms of action of disinfectants (phenol derivatives, biguanide, surfactant compounds, aldehydes, halogens, alcohols, oxidizing agents)
• Methods for assessing the efficacy of  disinfectants

.

Pharmaceutical production and pharmacopeia

• Assessment of pharmaceuticals contamination
• Essay of sterility
• Evaluation of microbial contamination of non-sterile products

Pyrogens and bacterial endotoxins:

• Assay for pyrogens
• Assays for bacterial endotoxins (LAL test)

Microbiological assay:

• Biological assay of antibiotics
• Interferon dosing
• Control the activity of disinfectants

Microbiological characteristics of pharmaceutical products:

• Obligatorily sterile pharmaceutical preparations
• Pharmaceutical preparation does not necessarily sterile

Sterilization of pharmaceutical products:

• Sterilization methods applicable to pharmaceutical products
• Biological sterilization indicators
• Use of antimicrobial preservatives in pharmaceutical preparations

Good manufacturing practice for preparation of medicines:

• Characteristics of the environment
• Staff
• Raw material
• Preparation of medicines in Pharmacy

Food microbiology

• Meaning of microorganisms in  food
• Unfermented foods (meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, vegetables and fruit)
• Fermented foods (fermented vegetables, bread, cheese, fermented milk, fermented meat products)

HACCP system:

• Description of the HACCP system: preliminary phases of the application system
• Main features of HACCP system: principles 1 to 7

Microbiologia Farmaceutica II ed, Edises

or

Principi di Microbiologia Medica III ed, Casa Editrice Ambrosiana

The student is free to choose another textbook.