General provisions

The course is part of the second semester at the Master's Programme in infection biology.

Entry requirements

180 credits in biology, bio-/medicine, biotechnology, pharmacy, pharmaceutical bioscience, (pharmaceutical) chemistry, medical science, agriculture, animal science, veterinary medicine or education giving knowledge in cell biology, genetics, (bio)chemistry and molecular biology. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course the students should be able to:

• Describe the structure, function, life cycle and pathogenicity of the most important parasitic protozoa, helminths, and arthropods and pathogenic fungi infecting animals and humans.
• Analyse the clinical characteristics of the most common human infectious diseases from an organ system perspective.
• Explain the molecular mechanisms of the inflammatory reaction and how the different components contribute to the symptoms and clinical pictures of infection.
• Analyse and discuss how to diagnose and identify infectious agents with appropriate methods and identify possible routes of transmission and also explain the general principles to prevent and treat infections.
• Account for principles and strategies for different vaccination methods and critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of these.
• Independently search for, compile, evaluate and critically interpret relevant scientific literature and information based on a given issue and critically analyse methods, interpret results and discuss these both orally and in writing.

Content

The course is divided into three sections: Parasitology (4 credits), Mycology (3 credits), and Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (8 credits).

The sections Parasitology and Mycology describe the occurrence and classification of various parasites, including protozoans, arthropods and helminths, and pathogenic fungi respectively. Lifecycle, structure and biology of the pathogens are discussed, but also their interactions with the host's immune system and methods for preventing disease and spreading.

The module on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases takes an organ-specific approach to discuss the most important viral-, bacterial-, fungal- and parasitic infections prevalent in human medicine. Infections of respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary tract, central nervous system, skin, soft tissue/skeletal and cardiovascular systems are discussed. Infectious diseases that are health care associated and infections specifically affecting frail or highly susceptiple individuals are also discussed. The different inflammatory cascades will be addressed in detail to give a profound knowledge about how these symptoms connect to both virulence factors of microorganisms as well as to the human defence against infection. Diagnostic procedures, medical intervention and antimicrobial therapy will be discussed in the clinical setting. Basic principles for vaccinology and vaccination strategies, for prevention of disease and spread of infections, are discussed. The course is also an arena for discussing ethical regulations and approaches in infectious medicine in general.

Instruction

Instruction is provided in English and consists of lectures, seminars as well as practical and theoretical assignments. Seminars and assignments are mandatory.

Assessment

Written tests with the grade Fail, Pass or Pass with distinction ends the respective module. The mandatory parts are examined at seminars, oral presentations/reports and through written reports and are graded as fail or pass.

To pass the course all written exams and mandatory parts must be approved. The final grade of the course is based on a weighted rating of all course sections. Possibility to complete non-approved mandatory assignments may be given at the next course opportunity, at the earliest, and only in case of vacancy.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.