Course Contents

COURSE CONTENTS THEORY 1. The beginnings of Microbiology; Discovery of the microbial world; Discovery of the role of microorganisms in transformation of organic matter in the causation of diseases, development of pure culture methods. The scope of microbiology. Microbial evolution, systematics and taxonomy. Characterization and identification of microorganisms and Nomenclature. 2. Viruses: Bacteriophages and phages of other protests. Replication of bacteriophages. Viruses of animals and plants; History, structure and composition; classification and cultivation of animal viruses. Effects of virus infection on cells. Cancer and viruses. 3. Morphology and fine structure of bacteria: Size, shape and arrangement of bacterial cells, Flagella and motility, Pili, Capsules, sheaths, Prosthecae and stalks, structure and chemical composition of cell wall, cytoplasmic membrane, protoplasts, spheroplasts, the cytoplasm, nuclear material. 4. The Cultivation of Bacteria: Nutritional requirements, nutritional types of bacteria, bacteriological media, physical conditions required for growth, choice of media, conditions of incubation. 5. Reproduction and growth of bacteria: Modes of cell division, New cell formation, Normal growth cycle of bacteria, synchronous growth, continuous culture, quantitative measurement of bacterial growth; Direct microscopic count, Electronic enumeration of cell numbers, the plate count method, Membrane-filter count, Turbidimetric method, Determination of nitrogen content, Determination of the dry weight of cells, The selection of a procedure to measure growth, Importance of measurement of growth. 6. Pure cultures and cultural characteristics: Natural microbial populations, selective methods; Chemical methods, Physical methods, Biological methods, Selection in nature, Pure cultures; Methods of isolating pure cultures, Maintenance and preservation of pure cultures, Culture collections, Cultural characteristics; Colony characteristics, Characteristics of broth cultures. 7. Eukaryotic Microorganisms: Algae: Biological and economic importance of algae; Characteristics of algae; Lichens. Fungi: Importance of fungi; Morphology; Physiology and reproduction, Cultivation of fungi. Protozoa: Ecology and importance of protozoa. Classification of protozoa. 8. Prokaryotic diversity Bacteria: Purple and green bacteria; cyanobacteria, prochlorophytes, chemolithotrophs, methanotrophs and methylotrophs, sulfate and sulfur-reducing bacteria, homoacetogenic bacteria, Budding and appendaged bacteria, spirilla, spirochetes, Gliding bacteria, Sheathed bacteria, Pseudomonads, Free living aerobic nitrogen fixing bacteria, Acetic acid bacteria, Zymomonous and chromobacterium, Vibrio, Facultatively aerobic Gram-negative rods, Neisseria and other Gram-negative cocci, Rickettsias, Chlamydias, Gram-positive cocci, Lactic acid bacteria, Endospore forming Gram-positive rods and cocci, Mycoplasmas, High GC Gram-positive bacteria; Actinomycetes, Coryneform bacteria, propionic acid bacteria, Mycobacterium, Filamentous Actinomycetes. 9. Prokaryotic Diversity: Archaea: Extremely Halophilic archaea, Methane producing archaea: Methanogens, Hyperthermophilic archaea, Thermoplasma. 10. Microbial Ecology: Microorganisms in nature, Microbial activity measurements, Aquatic habitats, Deep-sea microbiology, Terrestrial environments, hydrothermal vents, Rumen microbial ecosystem, Microbial leaching, Biogeochemical cycles; Trace metals and mercury, Biodegradation of Xenobiotics. 11. Microbial metabolism: Fuelling reactions in aerobic and anaerobic heterotrophs and autotrophs. 12. Microbial metabolism: Biosynthesis, polymerization, assembly: Methods of studying biosynthesis, synthesis of Nucleotides, Amino acids, Lipids, Porphyrins, Proteins, Polysaccharides and peptidoglycan polymerization of building blocks, Assembly of biopolymers into cellular components. PRACTICALS 1. Study of bacteria, yeasts and molds, and protozoa. 2. Staining of microorganisms: Simple stains, positive staining; negative staining. 3. Demonstration of special structures by stains: Spore stain, Flagella stain. 4. Differential stains: Gram stain, Metachromatic Granule stain, Acid fast stain. 5. Culturing of microorganisms: 6. Preparation and sterilization of culture media, agar slope, agar slab, streak plates, pour plates methods. 7. Isolation of a bacterial culture. 8. Quantitative plating methods. The turbidimetric estimation of microbial growth. Study of bacterial viruses.

Course Synopsis

An Introduction to Microbiology and Microbiological Techniques The beginnings of Microbiology Discovery of the microbial world Discovery of the role of microorganisms in transformation of organic matter in the causation of diseases Microbial evolution Characterization and identification of microorganisms

Course Learning Outcomes

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The course is designed to enable the students to work with microorganisms. The basic techniques of sterilization, culturing, isolation and determining different characteristics of the microorganisms are included.