At the end of the course, the student will be familiar with the bacterial world, both from the point of view of the cellular structure and metabolism of bacteria and from the point of view of the roles played by bacteria in the various ecosystems they have colonised. An overview of bacterial pathologies and possible treatments will also be acquired by the student.
The Bacteriology course will focus on the role of bacteria in processes discussed in other courses, such as metabolism and recycling of materials. The student will learn about the general structure of bacteria and their appendages, the basic principles of bacterial metabolisms, different bacterial lifestyles, the establishment of bacterial communities and the generation of bacterial pathologies. Horizontal gene transfer and bacterial genetics are covered in other courses, Genetics (Block 2 Biology) and Further Genetics (Block 3 Biology).
The course will be divided into four parts, illustrated by demonstrations integrated in the course such as the culture and observation of bacteria under the microscope. - Structure and functions of bacterial cells - Bacterial metabolism and material recycling - Bacterial communities: microbiomes, biofilms and cultures - Introduction to bacterial pathogenesis. Practical work will be proposed for cultivating and observing bacteria.
General introduction
Bacterial cells: structures and functions
- shape and size of the cells
- the cytoplasmic membrane
- the wall and the envelope
- appendages
Bacterial metabolisms
- energy conservation and nutritional categories
- small reminder of bioenergetics, breaths and fermentations
- dissimilative and assimilative reductions
- photosyntheses and carbon fixation
- nitrogen fixation and nitrogen cycle
Bacterial lifestyles
- examples of lifestyles
- biofilms
- microbiomes
- phages
- bacterial cultures
Bacterial pathogens
- definitions
- adhesion
- virulence
- extracellular and intracellular pathogens
- secretion systems
- enzymes and toxins
- the antibiotics
- antibiotic resistance, tolerance and persistence
Demonstrations will be carried out during the course to illustrate important points of the subject. Two practical sessions are organized.
The course will be held in an auditorium and will include practical demonstrations of key principles learned in theory. Practical work will be organized (2 half-days and a sampling exercise in the field).
The assessment will take the form of an oral examination, the aim of which will be to assess the student's basic knowledge of the various aspects of bacteriology that have been covered in the course, including the demonstrations and the practicals. The student will be given time to prepare (approximately 30 minutes) and will then be asked to present his/her answer, if possible, with clear and precise diagrams.
A copy of the slides in PDF format will be available as the course progresses. In the meantime, the previous year's slides are available on Webcampus. The reference book is "Biology of Microorganisms" (Brock), Ed. Pearson. Available at the BUMP (in English).
| Training | Study programme | Block | Credits | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor in Biology | Standard | 0 | 2 | |
| Bachelor in Biology | Standard | 2 | 2 |