1. Historical perspective - Discovery of the microbial world; Controversy over spontaneous generation; Role of microorganisms in transformation of organic matter and in the causation of diseases.Methods in microbiology - Pure culture techniques; Theory and practice of sterilization; Principles of microbial nutrition; Construction of culture media; Enrichment culture techniques for isolation of chemoautotrophs, chernoheterotrophs and photosynthetic microorganisms.

2. Microbial evolution, systematics and taxonomy - Evolution of earth and earliest life forms; Primitive organisms and their metabolic strategies; New approaches to bacterial taxonomic classification including ribotyping; Nomenclature.

3. Microbial diversity - Bacteria, archea and their broad classification; Eukaryotic microbes, yeast, fungi, slime mold and protozoa; Viruses and their classification.

4. Microbial growth -The definition of growth, mathematical expression of growth, growth curve, measurement of growth and growth yields; Synchronous growth; Continuous culture.

5.Nutrition and metabolism Overview of metabolism; Microbial nutrition; Energy classes of microorganisms; Culture media; Energetics, modes of ATP generation; ATP generation by heterotrophs; Fermentation; Glycolysis; Respiration; The citric acid cycle; Electron transport systems; Alternate modes of energy generation; Pathways (anabolism) in the biosynthesis of amino acids, purines, pyrimidines and fatty acids.

6.Metabolic diversity among microorganisms - Photosynthesis in microorganisms; Role of chlorophylls, carotenoids and phycobilins; Calvin cycle; Chemolithotrophy; Hydrogen- iron- nitrite-oxidizing bacteria; Nitrate and sulfate reduction; Methanogenesis and acetogenesis.

7.Prokaryotic cells: structure-function - Ceils walls of eubacteria (peptidoglycan) and related molecules; Outer-membrane of gram-negative bacteria; Cell wall and cell membrane synthesis; Flagella and motility; Cell inclusions like endospores, gas vesicles.

8.Microbial diseases and host parasite relationships - Normal microflora of skin; Oral cavity; Gastrointestinal tract; Entry of pathogens into the host; Infectious disease transmission; Respiratory infections caused by bacteria and viruses; Tuberculosis; Sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS; Diseases transmitted by animals (Rabies, plague), insects and ticks (rikettsias, Lyme disease, malaria); Food and water borne diseases; Public health and water quality; Pahtogenic fungi; Emerging and resurgent
infectious diseases.

9. Chemotherapy/Antibiotics - Antimicrobial agents; Sulfa drugs; Antibiotics; Pencillins and cephalosporins; Broad-spectrum antibiotics; Antibiotics from prokaryotes; Antifungal antibiotics; Mode of action; Resistance to antibiotics.

10. Microbial genetics - Genes, mutation and mutagenesis - UV and chemical mutagnes; Types of mutations; Ames test for mutagenesis; Methods of genetic analysis. Bacterial genetic system - Transformation; Conjugation; Transduction; Recombination; Plasmids and Transposons; Bacterial genetic map with reference to E. coli. Viruses and their genetic system - Phage and its life cycle; RNA phages; RNA viruses; Retroviruses; Genetic systems of yeast and Neurospora; Extrachromosomal inheritance and mitochondrial genetics; Basic concept of genomics.