Learning objectives
This course has been designed with the following goal in mind: to educate the students of each new generation to the wonderment of the mostly unseen microbial world by showing them the importance of microbes to their own lives
Course unit content
The course will cover eukaryotic and prokaryotic microbes and viruses, but will emphasize bacteria. This course will provide a conceptual and experimental background in microbiology sufficient to enable students to take more advanced courses in related fields.
Full programme
Microbiological techniques: light and electron microscopy, simple and differential staining procedures. Structure of the microbial cells at different evolution levels (Eukarya, Bacteria, Archaea). Comparative analysis and description of structures and functions of procaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Microbial nutrition: common nutritional requirments, growth factors, nutrient uptake, culture media, sterilization, pure cultures. Microbial growth: influence of aerobiosis,anaerobiosis, temperature, pH etc. on microbial growth. Microbial population growth , methods for growth measurement, continuous coltures (chemostat and turbidostat). Microbial metabolism and metabolic diversity: energy production, aerobic and anaerobic respiration, fermentation, oxigenic and anoxigenic photosynthesis, chemolithoautotrophy. Biosynthesis. Metabolism regulation at transcriptional level, translational level, feed-back inhibition. Microbial genetics: bacterial genome, mutation and mutants, genetic recombination in prokaryotes (transformation, conjugation, transduction). Plasmids and transposable elements. Microbial evolution and systematics. Prokaryotic diversity (Bacteria and Archaea), Fungi, Algae, Protista and Structure and Composition of Viruses; viral morphology; viral envelopes; chemical composition of virons; classification and nomenclature of viruses; viral replication; mechanisms of infection.
Bibliography
Prescott, Willey, Sherwood, Woolverton “Microbiologia “ 7/ed McGraw-Hill Companies srl volumi 1-2-3(2009)
Madigan et al. “Brock, Biologia dei Microrganismi” volumi 1-2-3 Casa Editrice Ambrosiana (2007)
Ratledge e Krisiansen "Biotecnologie di base" Zanichelli (2004)
Teaching methods
Frontal lessons and lab practice
Assessment methods and criteria
Written tests during the course, written final examination and oral examination
