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2022/2023

Clinical Microbiology

Code: 101006 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500502 Microbiology OB 3 1

Contact

Name:
Esther Julian Gomez
Email:
esther.julian@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Other comments on languages

There can be contents in Spanish or in English.

Teachers

Paula Herrero Abadía

Prerequisites

Although there is no official prerequisite, students are advised to review the concepts that refer to the microbial world, studied previously.

Objectives and Contextualisation

In this subject it is intended that the student:

- Know the most important groups of pathogenic microorganisms for humans.

- Know the basics of the microbiological diagnosis of a human infectious disease.

- Know how to evaluate the results of an antibiogram.

- Understand the relationships that are established between a pathogen and the human body.

- Know the great syndromes of human infectious disease.

- Know how to extract and correctly  information regarding clinical microbiology and infectious diseases in humans from specialized sources.

Competences

  • Apply microorganisms or their components to the development of products of interest in health, industry and technology.
  • Apply suitable methodologies to isolate, analyse, observe, cultivate, identify and conserve microorganisms.
  • Characterise the causal agents of microbial diseases in humans, animals and plants in order to diagnose and control them, perform epidemiological studies and be aware of present-day problems with these diseases and strategies to combat them.
  • Obtain, select and manage information.
  • Use bibliography or internet tools, specific to microbiology or other related disciplines, both in English and in the first language.
  • Work individually or in groups, in multidisciplinary teams and in an international context.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Describe the concepts of drug, pharmacology and pharmacokinetics.
  2. Describe the techniques to determine the sensitivity of pathogenic microorganisms to antimicrobial agents.
  3. Distinguish between the normal and the pathogenic microbiota.
  4. Identify the drug groups used in the control of infectious diseases and relate them to their action mechanisms.
  5. Identify the techniques used in the isolation, culturing and identification pathogenic microorganisms.
  6. Know and define the major syndromes in infectious pathology.
  7. Know the most important groups of pathogenic microorganisms.
  8. Know the usefulness of molecular techniques in the diagnosis of infectious diseases and in epidemiological studies.
  9. Obtain, select and manage information.
  10. Understand the microbiological bases that are used to develop products of interest in healthcare.
  11. Understand the relationships between a possible pathogen and its host
  12. Use bibliography or internet tools, specific to microbiology or other related disciplines, both in English and in the first language.
  13. Work individually or in groups, in multidisciplinary teams and in an international context.

Content

CONTENTS THEORETICAL CLASSES

Topic 1. General concepts.

Introduction. Areas of study of clinical microbiology. Groups of pathogenic microorganisms for humans. Host-parasitic relationships. Basic concepts about infectious diseases.

Topic 2. The laboratory of clinical microbiology.

Introduction. Objectives of the clinical microbiology laboratory. Diagnosis and sample pressure. Types of samples, collection and storage.

Topic 3. Urinary tract infections.

Introduction. Structure and function of the urinary tract. Factors that predispose the infection. Clinical manifestations. More frequent aetiological agents of uncomplicated cystitis: Escherichia coli and other gram-negative bacilli, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and other gram-positive bacteria. Laboratory Diagnostics. General rules for the treatment of urinary tract infections.

Topic 4. Infections of the genital system.

Introduction. Sexually transmitted diseases. Structure and function of the genital system. Factors that predispose to the infection. Clinical manifestations. Etiologic agents. Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis: urethritis and cervicitis. Candida albicans and Trichomonas vaginalis: vulvovaginitis. Genital ulcers: Treponema pallidum and herpes simplex virus. Papillomavirus: genital warts and cancer. Laboratory Diagnostics. Treatment and prevention. Post-part endometritis: Streptocccus agalactiae.

Topic 5. Respiratory infections.

Introduction. Structure and function of the respiratory system. Factors that predisposeto  the infection. Clinical manifestations. Rhinovirus: common cold. Streptococcus pyogenes: Pharyngotonsillitis. Corynebacterium diphteriae: diphtheria. Respiratory viruses and acute bronchitis. Bordetella pertussis. Pneumonia, etiologic agents. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila. Tuberculosis: Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Laboratory diagnosis of respiratory infections. Treatment and prevention.

Topic 6. Oral and sinus infections.

The ear, structure and function. Factors that predispose to the infection. Clinical manifestations. Etiologic agents. External otitis: Pseudomonas, Aspergillus and Candida.Aagents of acute and chronic otitis media. Laboratory diagnostic. Treatment and prevention. Structure and function of the paranasal sinuses. Factors that predispose to the infection. Clinical manifestations. Most frequent etiological agents of sinusitis. Laboratory diagnostic. Treatment and prevention.

Topic 7. Eye infections.

The eye, structure and function. Clinical manifestations. Etiologic agents. Chlamydia trachomatis: the trachoma. Neisseria gonorrhoeae: purulent acute conjunctivitis. Viral infections.Infection of the ocular annexes. Laboratory diagnosis. Treatment and prevention.

Topic 8. Infections of the digestive tract.

Infection of the oral cavity. The mouth and teeth, structure and function. Factors that predispose to the infection. Clinical manifestations. Etiologic agents. Streptococcus mutans: dental caries. Porphyromonas gingivalis: periodontal disease. Structure and function of the gastrointestinal tract. Factors that predispose to the infection. Clinical manifestations Chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer: Helicobacter pylori. Intestinal infection Etiological agents of infectious gastroenteritis. Intestinal Helmintiasis. Toxicoinfection of food. Etiologic diagnosis. Treatment and prevention. Liver infection. Clinical manifestations. Etiologic agents. Laboratory diagnosis. Treatment and prevention.

Topic 9. Infections of the nervous system.

The nervous system, structure and function. Factors that predispose to the infection. Clinical manifestations. Etiologic agents of meningitis and encephalitis: Neisseria meningitidis, Listeria monocytogenes, enterovirus. Prions encephalopathies. Laboratory diagnosis. Treatment and prevention.

Topic 10. Infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue.

Introduction. Skin and subcutaneous tissue, structure and function. Factors that predispose to the infection. Clinical manifestations Etiologic agents that cause skin and subcutaneous infections. Laboratory diagnosis. Treatment and prevention.

 Topic 11. Infections of the circulatory system
Bacteremia, fungemia, viremia and parasitemia. Primary bacteremia. Secondary bacteremia. Sepsis and septic shock. Hemoculture. Causal agents of bacteremia. Brucella, Francisella tulariensis and Yersinia pestis.



CONTENT SEMINARS

Preparation and presentation by students of subjets related to theory classes.

 

Methodology

Theoretical classes. The student must acquire the scientific-technical knowledge of this subject attending these classes and complementing them with the personal study of the topics explained. The teaching of each subject will be based on a theoretical exposition and in a brief discussion of the same.

Seminars. In the seminars, students will develop topical issues in the world of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases working in a group. They will have access to specialized scientific sources from which they will carry out an oral presentation of the selected topics.

Tutorials. Students can take individual tutorials with the teacher of the subject, whenever they need it, requesting a prior appointment.

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Seminars 10 0.4 9, 13, 12
Theoretical classes 35 1.4 10, 11, 7, 6, 8, 1, 2, 3, 4
Type: Supervised      
Individual tutorials 4 0.16
Type: Autonomous      
Preparation of seminars 23 0.92 9, 13, 12
Study 60 2.4 9, 13, 12
self-learning 14 0.56 9, 12

Assessment

EVALUATION ACTIVITIES PROGRAMMING

1) Theoretical classes. The evaluation of the theoretical contents of the subject corresponding to the knowledge acquired in the theoretical classes, will be carried out by means of the accomplishment of two written tests (60% of global note).  To pass this part of the subject,  the notes obtained in each written tests must be equal to or greater than 5 points.

2) Oral presentation seminars. The oral presentation (20% of global note) of a topic in the field of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases will be evaluated. This activity is mandatory.

3) Assistance to seminars and active participation. Attendance at the seminars and the performance of exams related to all the exhibitions will represent a 20% of global note.

To pass the seminars, a score  equal to or greater than 5 points must be obtained.

To pass the subject, a minimum score of 5 points must be obtained in the evaluation of the theoretical contents and a minimum score of 5 points in the part of seminars. Students who fail the minimum qualification of the theoretical part will be able to do a recovery exam  that will have a maximum score of 5 points. Students who do not achieve the minimum qualification of the seminars should do a recovery that will consist of an oral presentation of a scientific article and a written exam that will contain questions about all the seminars made by their peers and who will have a note maximum of 5 points.

To participate in the recovery, the students must have previously been evaluated in a set of activities whose weight equals to a minimum of two thirds of the total grade of the subjector module. Therefore, students will obtain the "Non-Valuable" qualification when the evaluation activitiescarried out have a weighting of less than 67% in the final grade

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Attendance at seminars and active participation 20% 0 0 9, 13, 12
Seminars, oral presentation 20% 0 0 9, 13, 12
Theoretical classes, written exam 30% 2 0.08 10, 8, 1, 2, 4, 5
Theoretical classes, written exam 30% 2 0.08 11, 7, 6, 3

Bibliography

Books

- Microbiología y Parasitología Médicas. Prats G. Editorial Médica Panamericana, 2012.

- Microbiología Médica. Murray P. R.  Elsevier Science, 2021.

 ONLINE Books

- Microbiología y Parasitología Médicas. Prats G. Editorial Médica Panamericana, 2013. 

Webs

Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. Documentos Científicos. http://www.seimc.org

European Center for Disease, Prevention and Control http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/Pages/home.aspx

European Food Safety Agency EFSA. http://www.efsa.europa.eu/

Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention, USA http://www.cdc.gov/ 

Organització Mundial de la Salut http://www.who.int/en/

Instituto de Salud Carlos III Centro Nacional de Epidemiología  http://www.isciii.es/

Generalitat de Catalunya Salut http://www.gencat.cat

Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona http://www.aspb.cat/

 

Software

None