Units
Microbial Technology and Immunology
Unit code: LQB686
Contact hours: 4 per week
Credit points: 12
Information about fees and unit costs
This capstone unit builds upon your foundation knowledge and understanding of microorganisms and bioinformatics, molecular technology, and immunological skills. You will: (i) study infectious disease states as a major focus, (ii) research the importance of microbial pathogens as aetiological agents of disease, (iii) apply your knowledge of bioinformatics and molecular assays to design polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays that can be used to selectively detect and amplify a specific bacterial pathogen, (iii) extend your knowledge of molecular subtyping methods, genomics, manipulation of bacterial genes, antibiotics, human immunology and vaccines, and (iv) write a research report in the format of a journal article.
Availability
| Semester | Available |
|---|---|
| 2013 Semester 2 | Yes |
Sample subject outline - Semester 2 2013
Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.
Rationale
Increasingly microbiologists are employing emerging technologies to rapidly detect, localise, characterise and identify microorganisms to gain a greater understanding of their prevalence, distribution, physiological functions, genotypes/phenotypes and pathogenesis. This unit will extend your knowledge from LQB386 of the origins and genomics of microorganisms and of the clinically important microorganisms that you studied in LQB486 and LQB586. The study of microorganisms is enhanced by an understanding of the host immunological response(s) to microbial colonisation and disease. This unit will also extend your knowledge of innate and acquired immunity, how the immune system responds to different microbial pathogens and current advances in the development of vaccines.
Aims
This capstone unit is an opportunity for you to demonstrate the skills, knowledge and capabilities developed over your course. Specifically, the unit will provide you with knowledge and skills in advanced molecular microbiology, genetic manipulation and microbial antigen detection techniques currently employed in clinical or research microbiology laboratories. You will also study advanced immunological and serological techniques currently used to diagnose infections and to explore the phenotypic expression and pathogenic mechanisms of microorganisms.
Objectives
On the successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
1. Apply your knowledge and understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of microorganisms, host defence mechanisms, molecular methods of detection and subtyping, microbial genetic manipulation and factors that may account for variation in host responses to disease, in written and practical examinations.
2. Design and perform your own polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic tests using your knowledge of web-based sequence databases and alignment software and general quantitative and experimental design methodologies, in practical laboratory sessions.
3. Use literature searching and information retrieval skills to assist with your critical analysis of published data, methods and presented conclusions, in the preparation of a scientific paper that will report your own experimental findings.
Content
The content in this unit focuses on microbial pathogenesis and the host immune responses. You will also study and perform advanced molecular and immunological methods.
Molecular microbiology methods: PCR and advanced molecular methods used for the detection, identification, characterisation of polymicrobial diversity and molecular subtyping of microorganisms isolated from clinical specimens will be studied. Selected assays will also be performed within laboratory classes.
Microbial genomics and proteomics: The most recent advances in microbial genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics will be discussed. Methods of microbial genetic manipulation and phenotypic monitoring of gene function will be reviewed, updated and performed. Molecular approaches to detection of resistance to antimicrobials will also be studied.
Immunology: The host immune responses including the innate and acquired immune responses will be studied. The role of the immune cell populations and immune effector molecules will also be discussed. This unit will also examine different immunological protocols, and strategies that can be used to develop and validate effective vaccines.
Approaches to Teaching and Learning
This capstone unit will integrate your knowledge and practical skills so that you can apply these to real world laboratory practice and also conduct a scientific research project. The learning and teaching strategies that will enable you to do this are:
(i) the integration of theory and practical skills, by updating your molecular microbiology and immunology knowledge, and then applying this theory to develop specialised laboratory skills.
(ii) reviewing and improving skills acquired in previous units, under the guidance of the microbiology academics and post graduate microbiology students
(iii) the further development of critical thinking - complex reasoning skills using self-directed activities: that can also include the use of online databases, online sequence manipulation programs, and the critical analyses of these outputs.
(iv) authentic learning experiences including, designing experiments, analysing and interpreting the experimental results, researching and reviewing relevant literature and the writing of a scientific report.
The teaching team will communicate with you by e-mail and online notices, and links to relevant websites and useful search engines will be posted regularly. Lecture notes, formative questions to test your understanding of the lectures, feedback to the formative assessment and all of the practical and tutorial resources necessary for this unit will be posted online.
There will be 2 hours of lectures for this unit each week. Three hour practical sessions are also scheduled and will be held every week. Whilst 1 hour tutorials have been scheduled, these will not be held every week. It is therefore very important that you consult the online unit schedule to determine the weeks in which the tutorials will be held.
Assessment
This unit has a combination of formative and summative assessment items. You are most welcome to contact lecturers with specific questions for help with difficult concepts.Formative assessment and feedback
For some of the unit topics you will be provided with sets of multiple-choice and short answer revision questions similar in style to those that will be included in the examinations, organised in topics and available on the teaching website. Feedback that reasons the correct answer will be provided for some of these revision materials. You are strongly encouraged to attempt to reason the answers.
Students will receive feedback on the draft outline for the summative assignment and on the recording of experiments within their laboratory notebook. The written assignment will be marked and returned to students (with feedback) in late semester.
Assessment name:
Report
Description:
An assessment will consist of a number of components. These can include:
(i) A draft outline of the final paper (group work)
(ii) A review of your laboratory notebook and experimental results (individual mark - laboratory)
(iii) A scientific paper - Group report
(iv) An individual review - you will research your assigned bacteria.
(v) Peer review of papers.
Relates to objectives:
1, 2 and 3.
Weight:
30%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Group
Due date:
Mid Semester
Assessment name:
Examination (practical)
Description:
Written exam comprised of short answer questions, which will assess your knowledge and understanding of learning concepts, the methodologies that you have used within the laboratory sessions, and your ability to interpret experimental results.
Relates to objectives:
1, 2 and 3.
Weight:
20%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Individual
Due date:
Late Semester
Assessment name:
Examination (written)
Description:
Written theory examination containing multiple choice questions, short answer and essay questions.
Relates to objectives:
1.
Weight:
50%
Internal or external:
Both
Group or individual:
Individual
Due date:
Late Semester
Academic Honesty
QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.
A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.
Resource materials
Texts:
There is no set text book for this subject. The following references are recommended and you will also be referred to relevant current publications and the literature.
References:
1. Abbas AK & Lichtman AH (2003) Cellular and Molecular Immunology, 5th edition, Saunders.
2. Dale JW & Park SF (2004) Molecular Genetics of Bacteria, 4th edition, John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
3. Madigan MT, Martinko JM & Parker J. Brock, Biology of Microorganisms, Most recent edition, Prentice Hall.
4. Snyder L & Champness W (1997) Molecular Genetics of Bacteria, ASM Press.
5. Salyers AA & Whitt DD, Bacterial Pathogenesis: A Molecular Approach, Most recent edition ASM Press.
Risk assessment statement
This unit includes a laboratory component. In order that you become proficient in necessary practical skills, you will be trained in the handling of equipment, materials and specimens normally associated with this discipline. All students are required to complete an online health and safety quiz prior to entry to the laboratory. A passing score of 9/10 is required and will be checked prior to entry to the first laboratory. You may resit the quiz until this score is achieved. You are referred to the university's health and safety web site:
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.
Last modified: 08-Oct-2012
