| Responsible Department | Department of Veterinary Disease Biology | ||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | BSc. 3 year to MSc. 2 year | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | One block | ||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 7.5 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||
| Level of Course | Joint BSc and MSc | ||||||||||||||||
| Examination | Final Examination oral examination All aids allowed Description of Examination: Data from laboratory experiments are compiled into individual reports. The reports should include a theoretical background, a discussion of the results, and answers to specific questions related to the sceientific papers introduced at the course. The report forms the basis for the 30 min(individual)oral examination. 7-point scale, internal examiner | ||||||||||||||||
| Requirement for Attending Exam | Participation in more than 80% of the course activities and writing of the report that form the basis for the evaluation of the course. | ||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | Practical exercises, lectures, and colloquia | ||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 3 Week Structure: C | ||||||||||||||||
| Language of Instruction | English | ||||||||||||||||
| Optional Prerequisites | 270009 Food Microbiology 240025 Microbiology Food microbiology (270009) or microbiology (240025) | ||||||||||||||||
| Restrictions | 25 | ||||||||||||||||
| Course Content | |||||||||||||||||
| Infectious diseases remain one of the major threats to human health. Development of new antimicrobial drugs requires detailed knowledge on the molecular mechanisms exploited by pathogens to cause disease. In this course, students will obtain advanced knowledge on all aspects of biology that allow bacteria to cause infections in the host, including persistence in the environment, production of virulence factors and development of antibiotic resistance. The theoretical and experimental parts of the course will be tightly linked. In the practical course advanced molecular techniques will used to demonstrate key features of pathogenic bacteria. The practical exercises will include the topics: construction of genetically modified mutants to study the function of virulence genes, measuring of virulence gene expression, formation of biofilm, identification of secreted virulence factors, cell-assays to study host-pathogen interactions. | |||||||||||||||||
| Teaching and learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||
| Teaching will take the form of general introductory lectures, colloquia, and practical exercises. Primary literature forms the basis for the colloquia and will partly be presented by students. In the practical exercises the students will be guided through relevant molecular techniques used in scientific literature. Data collected from laboratory experiments are compiled into a report that should also include a theoretical introduction, a discussion of the obtained results, and answers to specific questions. This report forms the basis for the oral examination. | |||||||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome | |||||||||||||||||
| The aim of the course is to provide an understanding of the genes and the gene regulatory mechanisms that are central for the ability of pathogenic bacteria to persist and cause disease in a host. Emphasis will be on how advanced molecular techniques can be used to answer research hypothesis relevant to these topics. Learning outcomes Knowledge - describe molecular mechanisms of importance for the virulence and persistence of pathogenic bacteria - give a survey of how bacteria aquire new virulence traits including resistance to antibiotics -define molecular methods introduced in the practical course Skills -employ molecular methods introduced in the practical course - design experiments to answer research hypothesis in the field of pathogenic bacteria and interpret obtained results -explain generally principles in virulence gene regulation and give detailed examples here-off -communicate scientific literature within the field of pathogenic bacteria to specialists and non-specialists (both orally and in writing) Competences -discuss and evaluate scientific experiments employing the molecular techniques introduced during the course -discuss what can be done to combat pathogenic bacteria (in general terms) | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||
| Dorte Frees, df@life.ku.dk, Department of Veterinary Disease Biology/Section for Microbiology, Phone: 353-32719 | |||||||||||||||||
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