Research and identification of infectious agents that cause disease in humans.

Collection, storage and transport of biological samples.

Direct diagnosis: cultural (traditional) and non-cultural (rapid).
Culture examination (basic, enriched, selective and differential culture media, incubation times and methods, reading, microbial load).
Automation in Microbiology (biochemical tests for bacterial identification).
Molecular investigation: PCR, RealTime, RNA and DNA hybridization (Northern and Southern blot).

Indirect diagnosis: Serological identification and with gene probes.

Microscopy and stains methods.

In vitro assay of antimicrobials: dilution and diffusion techniques; Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC). Interpretative criteria and therapeutic framework.

Isolation, classification and identification of oral microorganisms.

Safety in the Clinical Microbiology laboratory: Guidelines.