526-321 Molecular Microbiology Techniques

Microbiology 526-201 and 526-221.

At least one of microbiology 526-301 or 526-313.

Upon completion of the course, students should have:

• gained some understanding of the principles and procedures involved in the culture, isolation and identification of bacteria (particularly those of medical and environmental importance) based on principles of microbial physiology;

• used molecular microbiological techniques (eg. PCR, DNA sequencing, western blot probing) to identify important characteristics of bacteria (eg. virulence factors);

• used common bioinformatics methods to analyse DNA and protein sequence data (eg. BLAST searches, translation of DNA sequences, emm virulence types of streptococci); and

• gained expertise in retrieving published scientific data related to the project using computer searches and library facilities (eg. Medline).

This subject covers various aspects of practical and molecular microbiology including conventional isolation and identification methods, PCR and DNA sequencing, and antigen detection using western blots.

Regular written reports of laboratory work, including answers to discussion questions given out in class (60%), and a 2-hour written examination (40%).