Microbial Diversity and Disease

Module Identifier: BR19020
Module Title: Microbial Diversity and Disease
Academic Year: 2027/2028
Semester: Semester 2
Co-ordinator: Dr Arwyn Edwards
Reading List: View on Aspire
Exclusive (Any Acad Year): BR19920
Other Staff: Dr Marco Arkesteijn; Dr Ruth Wonfor; Professor Joanne Hamilton; Dr Ifat Shah; Professor David Whitworth; Professor Gareth Griffith

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	Microbiology practical test: 45 Minutes	25%
Semester Exam	Exam: 2 Hours	75%
Supplementary Assessment	Microbiology practical test: 45 Minutes	25%
Supplementary Exam	Exam: 2 Hours	75%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Independently demonstrate retained knowledge of the biodiversity of the major groups of bacteria and fungi.
Examine how microbes interact with other organisms, as mutualists and pathogens.
Evaluate clinical practice linked to microbiology
Perform and evaluate quantitative experiments in study of the physiology/morphology of microbes.

Brief description

This module is designed to introduce students to the diversity of microbes, their core role in ecosystem function, their diverse mutualistic interactions, as well as their importance to humans (microbes as pathogens etc.). It will teach skills and knowledge to underpin careers in microbiology, and clinical practice.

Content

The lecture course begins with an introduction to the three domains of life and microbial evolution. Applied aspects of microbiology and plant science, which have direct relevance to humans, such as the importance of microbes in disease, biotechnological exploitation of microbes (e.g. pharmaceuticals). The major groups within bacteria, fungi and viruses are described along with their key morphological (cellular ultrastructure), physiological and life history traits. The importance of mutualistic interactions, ranging from the gut microbiome to mycorrhizas are discussed. The module also covers the central role microbes in global biogeochemical cycles, including how these have evolved over the past 4 billion years and how they are disrupted by human activities. The module also considers clinical practice, with practitioners leading sessions focused on case studies. Practical classes illustrate and consolidate aspects of the lecture course. Students will gain key skills in light microscopy and the safe handling of micro-organisms through simple experimental investigations. By the end of the course students will have acquired basic knowledge of experimental design and a range of laboratory methods.

Module skills

Skills type	Skills details
Co-ordinating with others	Students will work in pairs/small groups during practical sessions. They will need to discuss their experimental design and work effectively as a small team in practical classes. They will also be opportunities to collaborate with the seminar sessions.
Creative Problem Solving	In the practical classes and seminars students will gain confidence in their ability to evaluate biological problems and objectively assess the quality of proposed solutions.
Critical and analytical thinking	Through the lectures students will become aware of specific medical problems related microbes and the solutions that have been developed to overcome these issues. Practical classes will allow students to gain experience in designing, executing, interpreting data and commenting on assessed microbiology experiments.
Professional communication	Clinical practitioners will contribute to the seminars and work through clinical case studies.
Subject Specific Skills	Students will be able to evaluate the importance of micro-organisms in biogeochemical cycling and biotechnology and explain how micro-organisms interact with other organisms. Students will be able to describe the diversity of life forms within the eukaryotic and prokaryotic micro-organisms. Students will gain key skills in handling microbiological specimens.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 4