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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.
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