This course is a foundational introduction to pathogens, pathogenic mechanisms, and infectious diseases (and some therapy). This course covers bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and prions in their roles as infectious agents. The course requires, and builds on, previous knowledge you have obtained of immunology and how it relates to the body’s reactions to pathogens. It will serve as a means to migrate from acquisition of basic scientific knowledge of pathogens to utilization of such knowledge in understanding clinical infectious disease processes. We will start with basic concepts of infections, progress to learning the microbiology of specific pathogens, learn how to identify and test for these pathogens, and conclude with the clinical implications of the discussed pathogens. The course consists variably of live and video lectures, student designated (and scheduled) self-study (DSA), clinical contextual integrations, and case-based interactive learning sessions (CIS). You will come to understand the structure, pathogenicity, laboratory findings, and clinical aspects of numerous pathogens. Throughout the course, the language of medicine is emphasized in conjunction with etiologic mechanisms, clinical features, differential diagnoses, and morphology. This course includes introductory pharmacology of antimicrobials in order to facilitate discussion of infectious disease diagnosis and treatment. In addition, important aspects of clinical laboratory involvement and data utilization in the diagnosis of disease are discussed as appropriate. Information will be presented over time as the second semester goes along in order to allow for deeper learning. It is expected that students in this course will function as mature adult learners and will seek all the knowledge necessary from any and all, sources available.
None