Difference between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic cells.
Naming and Classifying Microorganisms.
The bacterial cell: Size, shape and arrangements of bacteria.
Structures external to the cell wall: glycocalyx, flagella, pili and fimbriae.
The cell wall: composition and characteristics; cell wall and Gram stain; atypical cell walls.
Structures internal to the cell wall: the plasma membrane; the cytoplasm; the nucleoid; plasmids and resistance factors; ribosomes.
Bacterial metabolism: aerobic respiration; anaerobic respiration and fermentation.
Bacterial division and generation time.
Bacterial spore: structure, types, sporulation and germination, and their protecting role in biocide resistance.
Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogenesis: entry into the human body; adhesion, colonization and invasion; pathogenic actions of bacteria (tissue destruction, toxins); mechanisms for escaping host defenses.
Antibacterials and their mechanisms of action. Mechanisms of drug resistance.
Biology of Fungi: general characteristics, structure and classification. Fungal pathogenesis.
Characteristics and classification of viruses.
Virus structure: non-enveloped and enveloped viruses.
Viral replication: life cycle of viruses with animal and prokaryote hosts. Antiviral drugs.
Prions.
Hospital-acquired infection.
Disinfection, sterilization and asepsis.