Overview

This programme provides comprehensive knowledge and practical training in the spread of microorganisms (predominantly bacterial and viral pathogens), disease causation and diagnosis and treatment of pathogens significant to public health. The increasing incidence of microbial infections worldwide is being compounded by the rapid evolution of drug-resistant variants and opportunistic infections by other organisms. The curriculum reflects the importance of genomics and molecular techniques in both diagnostics and the study of pathogenesis.

Objectives

By the end of the programme students should be able to:

• demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of the nature of pathogenic microorganisms (predominantly viruses and bacteria) and basic criteria used in the classification/taxonomy of these microorganisms
• explain the modes of transmission of pathogenic microorganisms
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis and the outcomes of infections, including chronic microbial infections
• distinguish between and critically assess the classical and modern approaches to the development of therapeutic agents and vaccines for the prevention of human microbial diseases
• demonstrate knowledge of the laboratory diagnosis of microbial diseases and practical skills, including the isolation and characterisation of specific microbes in clinical specimens
• carry out a range of advanced skills and laboratory techniques, for example the purification of isolated microbial pathogens and analyses of their proteins and nucleic acids for downstream applications such as gene cloning and sequencing studies
• demonstrate research skills, including designing experiments, analysing results and troubleshooting and critically assessing the scientific literature.