- Course Code
- BI 2504
- Credit Points
- 15
- Course Coordinator
- Dr G Pugh Humphreys
Pre-requisites
BI1004 and BI1507 and CM 1010 or CM 1011
Overview
A small but very important group of organisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa and helminths) have the capacity to cause disease in man and animals. The immune system provides the major defence against infecting organisms. An understanding of the balance between the infecting organism and the body's defence mechanisms lies at the heart of modern biological science. The study of these defences and of the mechanisms used by infecting organisms to defend themselves and evade destruction is central to the fields of microbiology, parasitology, medicine, immunology and pathology. This course will focus on infectious agents of humans, and use them as examples to present the components of the immune system, their interactions and function at the cellular level, and the tricks used by pathogens to evade such defences. Techniques to control infection including anti infection drugs and vaccines will be considered, and the challenging cell biology and epidemiology of emerging infections will be presented.
Structure
12 weeks - 3 one-hour lectures per week, 1 practical (3 hours) or tutorial (1 hour) per week.
Assessment
1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in course assessment (40%).
To pass this course, a pass must be achieved in both components. The in-course assessment comprises 6 practicals (24%), a 3000 word essay (8%) and two mini-tests (8%).
Resit: A resit exam in the same format as the main exam and a one-hour exam on in-course material for those who failed the in-course assessment.