(Veterinary Bacteriology and Mycology at the UW Madison)

Syllabus

Course Instructors:

Phone - e-mail
2-8102 | Dr. Chuck Czuprynski (Course Coordinator)
2-8457 | Dr. Mike Collins
3-7884 | Dr. Susan West
5-2850 | Dr. Linda Sullivan
3-1286 | Ms. Patricia Sharp

Schedule:

Class
7:45-8:35 a.m., Room 2350 Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Lab
11:00-11:50 a.m. MD-2 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
1:20-2:10 p.m. Thursday and Friday

Required Text:

Hirsh, D.C. and Y.C. Zee "Veterinary Microbiology," Blackwell Science, Malden, MA
You will be expected to read the pertinent chapter before class, so as to facilitate discussion and provide greater insight into the subject being covered that day. In addition, you will be given a variety of reading material in the course outlines, and handouts in the classroom and laboratories. These are given to provide you more information about topics discussed in class, or to highlight pertinent topics in related areas. It is your responsibility to read these materials, as they may contain information that will be included on the exams. There may be unannounced quizzes held at the beginning of some lectures or lab periods on assigned readings!

Students with disabilities:

Students with disabilities needing a reasonable accommodation should inform Dr. Czuprynski as soon as possible.

Purpose:

The purpose of this course is to provide veterinary medical students an overview of the pathogenesis of bacterial and fungal infections of animals. This includes an introduction to the basic characteristics of bacteria and fungi, what implications these have for antimicrobial therapy, and a discussion of the major genera of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. We will describe the organisms themselves, as well as provide an overview of the diagnosis, pathogenesis, host response and antimicrobial therapy of the most important bacterial and fungal pathogens. It is assumed that students taking this course have not had a previous course in microbiology. We will attempt to provide you the information you need to be prepared for the clinical courses in Medicine in the third year. The focus of this course will, therefore, be on the core information most relevant to understanding the diagnosis, pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of bacterial and fungal infections. However, technology and information is increasing rapidly and you will need to be equipped to deal with this situation throughout your professional career. We, therefore, will also emphasize the underlying mechanisms that allow these microorganisms to cause infection and disease, and how the host response can either prevent, or in some cases aggravate, the disease process.
Part of the responsibility of the veterinary profession is to protect the human population against diseases caused by animal pathogens (zoonotic diseases). Because some of the microbes we will discuss can cause disease in people, we will also consider the zoonotic potential of these agents. These include microbial pathogens that can be present in food of animal origin (food safety). In other instances we might use certain human pathogens, and the diseases they cause in people, as “models” for better understanding the pathogenesis of related infections in animals.

Course Outline:

The course can be generally thought of as consisting of three sections:
1) Basic bacteriology - an introduction to the structure, function, biochemistry and genetics of bacteria
2) Pathogenic bacteriology - a discussion of the major pathogenic bacterial species of animals
3) Mycology - a discussion of the major fungal pathogens, and intoxications, of animals

Exams:

Student assessment will be based on exams, quizzes, and completion of written class and lab assignments. Students will also be expected to provide a written critique of a scientific paper. Written responses to questions about clinical cases will also be assessed. Exams will be a combination of multiple-choice, short answer, and essay questions. There will be laboratory quizzes and exams that will require students to identify pathogens based on clinical and laboratory information provided. These exams will also assess your understanding of appropriate terminology, and the basis for interpreting important diagnostic tests.
Points to be earned in the course will be distributed as follows:
600 | Exams (three mid-term exams)
200 | Final exam (not comprehensive)
200 | Lab practical (comprehensive)
200 | Lab quizzes, written exercises, etc.
1200 | Total
Mid-term exam I will cover lecture material through the Sept. 27 lecture on pathogenesis. Mid-term exam II will cover lecture material from Sept. 28 (Streptococci) through Oct. 25 (Salmonella and Shigella). The third exam will cover lecture material from Oct. 27 (Klebsiella, Proteus ) through Nov. 15 (Mycobacterium, Brucella). The final exam will cover material from Nov. 17 (Yersinia) to the end of the course. The lab practical will be comprehensive for the entire course.

Grading:

Grading for the course will follow the scale given below. Note that the grades are based on the total points earned, and will not be rounded up or down to the next percentage point.

A 1116 - 1200 93 - 100

AB 1068 - 1115 89 - 92

B 984 - 1067 82 - 88

BC 936 - 983 78 - 81

C 840 - 935 70 - 77

D 720 - 839 60 - 69

F 0 - 719 0 - 59

Syllabus | Lecture Slides | Lab Slides | Links
Please refer questions or comments to the course director.