MSc Medical Microbiology

This course unit will include a significant amount of practical laboratory-based study. There will be a strong emphasis on how the clinical laboratory is crucial to timely and effective diagnosis, management, and prevention of infectious disease.

Students will examine the microbiology, diagnosis and management of infections including, but not limited to, those listed below using case scenarios and evidence-based methods.  

• Respiratory tract infections  
• Community acquired infection  
• Urinary tract infections
• Endovascular infections
• Device-related infections
• Skin and soft tissue infections  
• Common agents of hospital acquired infection
• Infection in pregnancy  
• Infections in the Intensive Care Unit
• Sexually transmitted infection
• Infection in immunocompromised patients
• Neurological infection
• Gastrointestinal infection
• Blood-borne infection
• Other current infectious diseases 

This unit will cover specialism material and aims to:

• Produce students with a sound understanding of the role of bacteria, fungi/yeasts, viruses, and parasites in causing community and hospital acquired disease and travel related infections.
• Provide understanding and knowledge of the methods available for therapy of these infections and identification of the causative agents of disease; and
• Provide students with practical laboratory skills to allow accurate identification of the more commonly encountered microbial agents of infection. 

A variety of learning and teaching methods will be included:

•    A knowledge framework will be provided in the form of lectures, seminars and guidance to electronic resources.  This will be used by students working together to embed and extend knowledge and understanding to meet specific ILOs via self-directed learning (including the use of e-discussion forums) and via face-to-face seminars and oral presentations; and
•    Intellectual and practical skills will be obtained via laboratory based practical sessions structured around individual patient case histories; students will be helped to design the laboratory investigation to diagnose the patient based on clinical information given in “real-time” during practical sessions.
 

Students should/will be able to:

•    Understand the classification of microbial pathogens and be able to identify those that cause significant disease in humans;
•    Have a broad knowledge of symptoms associated with microbial infection and how these present in different patient groups;
•    Acquire detailed knowledge of the pathogenesis of bacterial and viral infections in the community and hospitals;
•    A conceptual understanding of the principles of infection and be able to relate them to current best practice in diagnosis;
•    A detailed understanding of all relevant aspects of antimicrobial chemotherapy; 
•    Understand the sources and route of transmission of microbial pathogens in relevant settings; and
•    Understand the role of decontamination and the infection prevention and control team in disease prevention and management.

Students should/will be able to:

•    Analyse, evaluate and interpret the results of controlled experiments;
•    Able to identify and differentiate the symptoms associated with major microbial infections;
•    Evaluate clinical case histories and be able to identify appropriate management and treatment strategies; and
•    Integrate theory and practice with respect to laboratory aspects of medical microbiology.
 

Students should/will be able to:

•    Safely and competently carry out a range of routine and advanced practical skills in laboratory based microbiology; and
•    Present primary and secondary data in written and oral forms, including the safe recording of laboratory data.
 

Students should/will be able to:

•    Learn to improve their time and resource management by working in a laboratory environment where data is required within a given timeframe and using limited reagents;
•    Learn to manage effective team working by carrying out tasks within a small group in a structured laboratory situation; 
•    Use information technology and appropriate related software to a high standard; and
•    Present complex ideas to inform but non-specialist audiences in written and oral form.

Other:

Poster: 30%

•    Feedback on assignments will be given in accordance with University guidelines.
•    Informal feedback on a one-one basis in practical sessions.
•    Verbal feedback in seminar/tutorial sessions.
•    Formal feedback at the end of the unit from students.