I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Microbiology

2. Course Prefix & Number:
BIOL 2457

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 4

Lecture Hours: 2

Lab Hours: 4

4. Course Description:

This course is the study of the biology, transmission, pathogenesis, and prevention of bacterial, viral, parasitic and fungal infections. In addition to the medical aspects of microbiology, the course may also cover the environmental and industrial role of microbes. Two hours lecture and two 2-hour labs weekly. This course is designed for students pursuing the Associate Degree in Nursing and science majors. Student must complete five credits of other Biology coursework prior to enrolling in Microbiology.

5. Placement Tests Required:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

8. Prerequisite (Entry) Skills:
Students should have completed 5 semester hours of other Biology coursework and be able to study/learn detailed scientific information

9. Co-requisite Courses:

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:
Goal 3 – Natural Sciences

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

A.        Fundamentals of Microbiology

• Describe characteristics of microorganisms, their beneficial uses, and their negative consequences.
• Describe significant historical events in microbiology, including experiments and discoveries made by select scientists and how their work contributed to the discipline.
• Identify how microbes are classified.

B.        Chemistry of Life

• Define and give examples of types of molecular bonds.
• List and give examples of the macromolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids) and explain the chemistry behind their assembly and disassembly.

C.        Microscopy and Staining

• Differentiate acidic and basic dyes, and positive and negative staining techniques.
• Compare and contrast simple, differential, and special stains and provide examples of when each would be used.
• List the steps of a Gram stain, describe what each step accomplishes, and know the resulting color of Gram positive and negative cells at the end of each step.

D.        Microbial Functional Anatomy

• Compare and contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell structure and function.
• Compare and contrast the cell wall structure of Gram positive and negative cells and explain the medical significance of these differences.  Compare to the Archaea and Mycoplasma.
• Describe structure and function of the plasma membrane and methods of membrane transport.
• Explain endosymbiotic theory and provide evidence that supports it.

E.         Microbial Metabolism

• Define metabolism, differentiate between catabolism and anabolism, and understand the role of ATP in coupling these processes.
• Describe the features of enzymes, their biological functions, and factors that influence enzyme activity.
• Explain what happens in oxidation & reduction reactions and their roles in microbial metabolism.
• Describe the major events that occur in glycolysis, Krebs cycle, and electron transport system and the significance to the cell.
• Compare and contrast anaerobic and aerobic cellular respiration.
• Describe the significant events that occur in fermentation; provide examples of fermentation end-products and organisms that produce them.
• Categorize the various nutritional patterns among microbes, including energy source and principle source of carbon.

F.         Microbial Growth and Control of Growth

• Draw and label the stages of the bacterial growth curve and explain events that occur in each.
• Define generation time and list factors that influence it.
• List and explain how variations in physical and chemical conditions can affect microbial growth.
• Classify microbes based on preferences for physical conditions such as temperature, pH, and salinity.
• Provide examples of ways we manipulate physical and chemical conditions to control microbial growth; define key terms related to the destruction or suppression of microbial growth.
• Describe how some microbes neutralize toxic forms of oxygen, where these microbes can live, and how they are classified.
• List physical and chemical control agents, their effectiveness, their limitations, and how these agents are used to control microbial growth.

G.        Microbial Genetics & Biotechnology

• Detail the processes involved in microbial DNA replication, transcription, and translation.
• Explain the regulation of gene expression in bacteria by induction, repression, and catabolite repression.
• Classify mutations and their outcomes, and provide examples of mutagens.
• Explain the roles of transformation, conjugation, transduction, plasmids and transposons in the insertion of new genetic material into the bacterial genome.
• Describe current applications of genetic engineering.
• List various tools of biotechnology and provide examples of how they are used to make products that benefit society.  Give examples of therapeutic and agricultural applications of genetic engineering.
• Explore some of the safety and ethical issues surrounding the use of various biotechnologies. 

H.        Survey of the Microbial World

• Learn structural and functional features of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes in a survey of the microbial world, including:
• Bacteria:  specific features of select Gram positive and negative bacteria and Archaea
• Fungi:  structural differences, microscopic appearances, reproductive patterns, and examples of the fungal phyla
• Algae: distinguishing features among the phyla and examples
• Protozoans:  distinguishing features among the phyla and examples
• Helminths:  distinguishing features among the phyla, and definitive and intermediate hosts of select examples
• Describe general structural features of viruses, host range, size, and shape.
• Outline the events that occur in the lytic cycle of T-even bacteriophages and the lysogenic cycle of bacteriophage lambda and discuss the possible outcomes of lysogeny.
• Compare and contrast the multiplication cycle of DNA- and RNA-containing animal viruses and provide examples of diseases caused by each; explore the biology of retroviruses and DNA- and RNA-oncogenic viruses and the associated diseases of the host.
• Define prions and explain their transmission and resulting diseases.  

I.          Microbe-Host Interactions

• Define normal microbiota and the significance of their relationships with the host.
• Relate epidemiology principles and definitions to an influenza case study.
• Graph the stages of disease development.
• Compare and contrast human, animal, and nonliving reservoirs of infection and provide examples.
• Explain the methods of disease transmission and provide examples of each.  Define nosocomial infections and cite the most effective way to prevent their spread.
• List the most common portals of entry for microbes to enter a host and describe how microbes use them.
• Define, compare, and contrast LD₅₀ and ID_50.
• Explain how adherence, capsules, cell wall components, and exoenzymes contribute to microbial pathogenicity and provide specific examples of microbes that use them.
• Define toxins and differentiate between exotoxins and endotoxins with regard to microbial source, composition, effects on the host, and potency.
• Explain how various mechanical, chemical, and cellular features of the host provide a first, second, and third lines of defense against pathogens.
• Define herd immunity and how it is achieved with the use of attenuated, inactivated, subunit, and toxiod vaccines.  Provide examples and advantages/disadvantages of each vaccine type.
• Provide examples of microbes that are sources of antibiotics.
• List 5 modes of action by antimicrobial drugs, explain how they work at the cellular level, and why they are selectively toxic.  Know examples of drugs for each action.
• Describe the mechanisms of antimicrobial drug resistance, what factors contribute to this, and how to prevent it. 
• Research and share knowledge of select microbial diseases of the human organ systems.

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions

A.        Chemistry of Life

• Build models of the biologically important molecules and apply knowledge of these molecules to the structure of microbial cells; demonstrate hydrolysis and dehydration synthesis using the models.
• Draw chemical and structural formulas of organic compounds.   

 B.       Microscopy

• Identify micro
• Compare and contrast compound light microscope structure and function with other types of microscopes used in microbiology.
• Explain how use of immersion oil improves the magnifying powers of a compound light microscope and practice using it to view microbes.
• Apply knowledge of depth of field, diameter of field , and micrometers to measure microbes.

C.        Aseptic Technique and Culturing Techniques

• Practice aseptic technique when transferring microbes among various media.
• Know and practice other related lab safety techniques.
• Perform various microbial culturing techniques, including pure culture techniques, streak plate technique, and environmental sampling using microbiological tools (examples: loop, needle, Bunsen burner, swab, Petri plate, slant, deep, broth, dilution).
• Perform and interpret results of various metabolic tests (examples: fermentation, starch and gelatin hydrolysis, catalase, hydrogen sulfide, citrate, methyl red). 

D.        Staining Techniques

• Demonstrate proficiency in performing staining techniques on known and unknown bacteria, including simple stain, negative stain, Gram stain, endospore stain, capsule stain. 
• View prepared slides of techniques used with pathogens, including acid fast stains.

E.         Biotechnology

• Define restriction enzymes, explain what they do, and use them to create restriction maps of viral DNA using gel electrophoresis techniques.

F.         Microbial Growth and Control of Growth

• Evaluate the effectiveness of select antibiotics and disinfectants on bacterial growth.  
• Examine epidemiology by simulating an epidemic with a non-pathogenic bacterium. 

G.        Survey of the Microbial World

• Culture bacteria and observe them using macro- and microscopic techniques.
• View living or preserved samples, prepared slides, and videos of fungi, algae, protozoans, helminths, and viruses to study their morphology, growth, and behavior.   

H.        Identification of an Unknown Bacterium

• Follow a sequence of steps to identify an unknown bacterium, including: pure culture techniques, determining motility, staining, observing and recording data on morphological, cultural, and physiological characteristics, and using Bergey’s manual.