HOST-PARASITE INTERACTIONS
Syllabus For 2000
Host-Parasite Interactions: the course
We will examine the attributes of an animal host which will permit its survival in a sea of microorganisms and parasites. This resistance to disease is due to a complex interaction of cells and chemicals that make up the tissues and fluids of the host. Dispite these elaborate defenses, most mammals are still susceptible to infectious organisms which are a part of the host's own normal flora, the normal flora of other animals, or a part of the environment. Bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and other disease agents possess a variety of techniques for overwhelming the physical and chemical barriers that protect the host, thus allowing the onset of disease.
In this course you will examine the balance between the host's defenses and the microorganism's virulence factors which can shift; resulting in periods where the animal experiences good health on one hand and diseased states on the other hand when a particular organism has been able to tip the balance in its favor. We will learn about the innate and acquired forms of immunity that are typically found in higher animals and then we will look at how selected bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites can cause diseases in humans.
In order to be able to respond to a particular disease agent, we must know some of its characteristics. It will be important to know how it is transmitted to the host as well as where it usually enters the body. You will need to discover how it escapes from a diseased individual and also if there are specific factors associated with the agent which might be neutralized resulting in a cure or the prevention of disease.
The text will serve as a resource for uncovering some of the relationships that exist between host and parasite but we will not depend only on it as a source of information. During the semester, I will assign mini projects to be done by using library and Internet resources, thus we will be able to obtain current information about a specific topic.
I will have you research a particular topic of your choice (with some limitations) and have you give a presentation to the class. This project will allow you to dig deeper into an area of medical microbiology that is not possible by limiting ourselves to class lectures as a means for learning.
Grading
There will be four, one hour exams @ 100 pts each: 400pts
Quizzes will be: 100pts
Laboratory reports: 100pts
Laboratory practical: 50pts
The laboratory reports will be done in a scientific format with a title page, introduction, materials and methods, results, and discussion. (Laboratory information will be included on the one hour exams.)
Schedule
Date Topic Reading
Feb. 2 Establishment of Infectious Diseases Ch. 1&2
Feb. 4 Normal Flora of the human host Ch. 2
Feb. 7 Constitutive Defenses of the host Ch. 6
Feb. 9 Inflammation and phagocytosis Ch. 6
Feb. 11 Induced (acquired immunity):
Examples, biological characteristics Ch. 7
Feb. 14 Immunoglobulins Ch. 7
Feb. 16 Cellular aspects of the immune response Ch. 7
Feb. 18 Immune injury: hypersensitivities and deficiencies Ch. 7
Feb. 21 Microbial virulence factors Ch. 8&9
Feb. 23 Introduction to bacterial infections, Staphylococcal
infections Ch. 10&11
Feb. 25 Staph and strep infections Ch. 11&12
Feb. 28 Streptococcal infections Ch. 12
Mar. 1 Pneumococci Ch. 13
Mar. 3 Gram negative cocci: Neisseria species Ch. 14
EXAM ON MAR. 2&3
Mar. 6 Bacteroides infections and an introduction to
Enterobacteriaceae Ch. 15&16
Mar. 8 Watery diarrhea and infections due to E. coli 0157:H7 Ch. 16&17
Mar. 10 Opportunistic Gram negative bacteria (Pseudomonas
and others) Ch. 18
Mar. 13 Clostridia: obligate anaerobes Ch. 20
Mar. 15 Whooping cough, Legionella, and Heilicobacter pylori Ch. 19, 21 & 22
Mar. 17 Tuberculosis Ch. 23
Mar. 20
Mar. 22 Spring Break
Mar. 24
Mar. 27 Syphilis and other diseases caused by spirochetes Ch. 24&25
Mar. 29 Chlamydia Ch. 27
Mar. 31 Rickettsioses and Mycoplasmic infections Ch. 28&29
Second Examination
Apr. 3 Biology of viruses Ch. 31
Apr. 5 Picornaviruses (Polio, Rhinoviruses) Ch. 32
Apr. 7 Comparison of Myxoviruses and Paramyxoviruses Ch. 34
Apr. 10 Myxoviruses and Paramyxoviruses Ch. 36
Apr. 12 AIDS Ch. 37 & 68
Apr. 14 Adenovirus infections Ch. 39
Apr. 17 Warts: seed warts and genital warts Ch. 40
Apr. 19 Herpesvirus family Ch. 41
Third Examination Apr. 19&20
Apr. 21 Good Friday
Apr. 24 Easter Monday
Apr. 26 Viral Hepatitis Ch. 42
Apr. 28 Combating viral Infections Ch. 43
May 3 Immunization Ch. 44
May 5 Principles of epidemiology Ch. 56
May 7 The compromised patient (immune deficiencies) Ch. 67
May 8 Student presentations
May 10 Student presentations
May 12 Student presentations
May 17
May 19 FINAL EXAMINATION WEEK
May 21
Link to Kreps' Web Page
http://contra.biology.und.ac.za/immulec/default.htm
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/final/immun/immun.htm
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/publications/autoimmune/textonly.htm#preface
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/publications/
http://www.tulane.edu/~dmsander/Big_Virology/BVHomePage.html
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~parasite/images.html
http://fungusweb.utmb.edu/mycology/thefungi.html