Elements of microbiology and general immunology

Duration

15h Th, 5h Pr

Number of credits

Lecturer

Nathalie Jacobs, Pierrette Melin

Coordinator

Pierrette Melin

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

Immunology contents (N.Jacobs)

• Immunology introduction
• Innate immune response (including inflammation)
• Adaptive immune response
• Cellular immune response
• Humoral immune response
• Immune response regulation

• Introduction
• Historical milestones
• The microbial world
• Bacteria, procaryotic cells
• Beneficial aspects of microbes
• Concepts of microbial diseases
• Control of microbial diseases: prevention and therapeutic approach
• Microbial quality of swimming waters and related infectious risks

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

Immunology
To know and be able to explain general immunology concepts
Microbiology
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

• identify the main microbial challenges on the earth
• describe the importance of mortality associated to infectious diseases and the evolution/emergence of infectious diseases
• summarize a few important milestones in the microbial history
• describe the different groups of microorganisms and their characteristics
• explain the important role and characteristics of biofilms
• describe the main points of bacterial genetics and genome plasticity
• report the principles of beneficials aspects of microbes
• summarize the different symbiotic and pathogenic  relationships between microorganisms and human beings.
• list the main bacterial virulence factors
• describe the different modes of transmission of microbes to or between human beings
• understand and summarize human defenses against microbial attack and prevention strategies (food security, access to drinking water, vaccines, sterilization - disinfection, antibiotics).
• list briefly the main groups of antibiotics, mode of action and resistance mechanisms
• describe the principles of the main microbial methods used for clinical diagnostics
• read and interprete reports of  mcrobial quality control of swimming waters
• understand the risk of microbial transmission between sportsmen and related to sports equipments and therefore the necessity to adopt and respect hygiene rules.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Immunology
The course is divided in 5 face-to-face lectures.
On eCampus portal supplementary information on immunology is available
On student demand a revision lesson (questions-answers) could be organised  
Microbiology
The course is taught as lectures, supported by PowerPoint-type slides.
Students are invited to ask their questions after the lecture or by email.
Practical work sessions are compulsory.  They illustrate the theoretical course.  Biosecurity and hand hygiene are introduced at the first session

Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)

Face-to-face lectures and training at the bench
Methods for microbial identification are described shortly in the face-to-face lectures and are widely described and performed during training.

Recommended or required readings

Immunology:
Slide presentation is available on "eCampus" portal after the lecture.
Microbiology:
Sets of slides of lectures as well as syllabus of pratical works are posted on the ULg website and can be downloaded by the students.
The following books are good references related to the course:

• MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Mims C. et al, 5th Ed.,2012, Elsevier
• INTRODUCION A LA MICROBIOLOGIE, Tortora G.J. et al, 2003, ERPI, Editions du Renouveau Pédagogique Inc.
• THE MICROBIAL CHALLENGE, Krasner R., 2002, Ed. ASM PRESS
• MICROBIOLOGIE, Prescott, Harley et Klein, Ed.De Boeck Université

• http://www.microbes-edu.org

Assessment methods and criteria

Immunology
  Writing exam
Microbiology
Written examinations for the theorical (January / September) (multiple choice questions, open questions with short answers). Written evaluation (multiple choice questions +/- open questions with short answers) for the practical works, organized after the last SEANCE of each group.  The evaluation is included for 10% in the notes obtained in January.

Work placement(s)

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Organizational remarks

Questions related to the course (immunology partim) must be posted on the forum of "eCampus" portal.
For practical works session in microbiology

• the coordinator is Julie Descy, pharmacist, specialist in clinical biology and microbiology, university hospital of Liege
• Attendance is compulsory
• Access is restricted only to students wearing a labcoat.

Contacts

MICROBIOLOGY
Clinical microbiology Department University Hospital of Liège, B-23 Sart Tilman, 4000 LIEGE Belgium
Secretary
For any contact or to fix an appointment, please contact the secretary MRS MC Lhote

• Phone : 00.32.4.366.24.39
• Telecopy: 00.32.4.366.24.40
• email : micromed@ulg.ac.be

• Pierrette.Melin@chu.ulg.ac.be

• julie.descy@chu.ulg.ac.be
  

• n.jacobs@ulg.ac.be

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