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 Undergraduate V23.0044 - Microbiology and Microbial Genomics, Instructor of Record. This course is intended as a comprehensive description of microbes, the most abundant organisms on the planet. The course is organized into four modules: the bacterial cell, microbial genomics, microbial development and adaptation, and microbial interactions with the host and the environment. Through lectures and critical analysis of the primary literature, students will be led to realize how the advent of genomics has revolutionized microbiology, a scientific discipline that is more than a century old. V23.0014.001 - Honors Principles of Biology II, (team-taught) Instructor of Record. V09.0010.004 - Freshman Presidential Honors Scholars Seminar, Instructor of Record. Graduate G23.1023 - Hot Topics in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Co-instructors of record: Eichenberger/Reiss. Microbes have been mankind’s closest companions ever since humans appeared on the planet. There are more microbial cells in and on our bodies than all our human cells. While most microbes are not harmful, the few that are pathogenic can cause severe diseases. The relationship between microbial pathogens and their human hosts is continuously changing. Although our immune system has become extremely sophisticated throughout evolution, microbes are also evolving at a fast rate to overcome host defenses. Since the infancy of microbiology an enormous amount of research has been dedicated to the study of infectious agents. The development of techniques, such as sanitation and vaccination, and the discovery of antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics, has revolutionized medicine. However, even though some infectious diseases have been eradicated (e.g. small pox), others that were on the verge of extinction are re-emerging (e.g. TB) and new ones have gained prominence (e.g. AIDS). This course is designed as a detailed survey of some of the most important human pathogens. It investigates these agents in detail and includes the most cutting edge basic research findings as well as epidemiology, treatment and prevention of infections.
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