Department of Biology & Biochemistry, Unit Catalogue 2011/12 |
|
 Credits:
| 6 |
| Level:
| Intermediate (FHEQ level 5) |
| Period: |
Semester 2 |
| Assessment:
| CW 20%, EX 80% |
| Supplementary Assessment: | Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations) |
| Requisites:
| |
| Description:
| Aims: To provide the students with a foundation of knowledge on how diverse microbial life forms interact with their host and the environments in which they live. Learning Outcomes: After taking this course the student should be able to: * Explain the human immune system and how it protects us from infection; * Describe pathogenic strategies used by microbes to evade immunity; * Explain symbiotic relationships between microbes and hosts; * Understand extremophiles and the environments in which they live; * Describe population genetics of microbes and how it helps us understand their evolution. Skills: Learning and studying T/F/A, Written communication T/F/A, Laboratory skills T/F, Information technology T/F, Information handling & retrieval T/F/A, Working independently T/F. Content: This Unit will examine the major groups of microorganisms: i.e. bacteria, viruses, yeast, fungi, archaea and protozoa. Following a general introduction to human immunity it will take a case by case study of important microbes and examine who they interact with their environments (eg Neisseria meningitidis, HIV, Influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, Wolbacchia) It will examine how they interact with the world around them and will cover all aspects of these interactions: pathogenicity, immune evasion, symbiosis, endosymbionts, metagenomics and population structure. |
| Programme availability: |
BB20203 is Optional on the following programmes:Department of Biology & Biochemistry
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