MICR 221 - Fundamental Microbiology | Biomedical and Molecular Sciences | School of Medicine

MICR 221 - Fundamental Microbiology

Winter 2025 (On-Campus)

Year 2

6-7 hours/week

3 units

Available

On-Campus Course

A fundamental study of the structure, genetics and growth of microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses. The roles of microbes the environments in which they exist will be considered.

Prerequisites

(A GPA of 1.90 in BIOL 102/3.0 and BIOL 103/3.0) and CHEM 112/6.0.

Exclusions

MICR 271/3.0.

Method of Delivery

In class

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the bacteriology section, students are expected to be able to:

understand the main ways bacteria exchange DNA;
understand the major structures of bacterial cells, their functions and assembly;
recognize roles microbes play in the environment as well as in disease;
appreciate the diversity of microbes;
identify the growth phases of bacteria and how growth can be measured;
understand the many ways microbes acquire nutrients from their environment;
understand how bacteria communicate;
understand the many ways bacteria regulate expression of their genes;
integrate lecture material with the lab component.

By the end of the virology section, students are expected to be able to:

identify major virus families and understand their structure, replication strategies and diversity;
understand how viruses disseminate within the infected host organism and how they cause disease;
understand how the host organism responds to virus infection and develops immunity to future infection by the same virus;
understand the mechanisms by which some viruses evade host immune defenses;
understand the strategies used to develop vaccines to protect against virus infections and to develop anti-viral drugs;
understand the challenges faced in the global delivery of vaccines to eradicate select viral pathogens.

Evaluations

Bacteriology Quizzes: 7.5%

Midterm Exam: 35%

Final Exam: 42.5%

Lab Component: 15%

Time Commitment

Lecture: 3 hours per week

Lab: 3 hours every other week (6 labs total for the term)

Textbooks and Materials

No text is required or recommended