BIOB2200 Medical Microbiology and Immunology Course description

Medical microbiology deals with all types of microorganisms that can cause infection in humans, and the immunological response to such infections. Microbiological laboratories are tasked with contributing to the detection and characterisation of infectious agents and, if relevant, antibodies in patients with a suspected infection. This is important to ensure the best possible treatment of the individual patient and to detect an outbreak as soon as possible, identify sources of infection in the event of outbreaks, sanitise the reservoir of infection and implement preventive measures against the further spread of infection.

Basic knowledge of medical microbiology and immunology are important because biomedical laboratory scientists are responsible for conducting and quality assuring the analyses and detection methods used in this type of laboratory. The course emphasises the detection and identification of microorganisms and determination of bacterial sensitivity/resistance to antibiotics, as well as methods for detecting antibodies against microorganisms. Emphasis is furthermore placed on how the different microorganisms cause infectious disease (pathogenesis) and how the balance between the microorganisms’ virulence and the host's immune system determines how serious the disease becomes.

• Passed first and second year or equivalent of the Bachelor’s Programme in Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, or
• Admitted to the Complementary Education in Biomedical Laboratory Science

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• can describe how blood banks produce, control and store blood products such as erythrocyte concentraeste, thrombocyte concentrates and plasma
• can describe how different blood products are used in the treatment of patients
• can describe which blood type systems, blood types and blood type antibodies are important in connection with transfusions, and in relation to hematological diseases in newborns
• can describe the principles of basic blood type serology laboratory investigations
• can describe causal mechanisms of diseases in babies and newborns due to blood type antibodies and thrombocyte antibodies
• can describe complications that may occur during transfusion, transplantation and stem cell treatment
• can explain the principles of selected immunological methods and describe the various methods’ areas of use
• can explain how relevant methods and analyses can be quality assured
• is familiar with the laws and regulations that regulate the blood banks in Norway

Skills

The student

• can gather information about who can be a blood donor in Norway and how donors are selected in the blood bank
• can select and take blood from a donor under supervision
• masters basic blood type serology laboratory investigations, can assess the significance of the analysis results and demonstrate honesty and independence in their own work
• can conduct and quality assure different immunological methods and assess any sources of errors related to these

General competence

The student

• can identify and discuss ethical issues in the field of transfusion medicine and medical immunology
• can care for, respect and cooperate with fellow students, colleagues and patients/blood donors regardless of their ethnic, religious and cultural background

The course consists of the following subject areas, specified below as the number of credits:

• Work in blood bank, 3.5 credits
• Blood type serology, 4.5 credits
• Medical immunology with transplantation immunology

Work and teaching methods include lectures, assignments and laboratory work in blood type serology, immune hematology, medical immunology and transplantation immunology. The course includes four days’ external practical training at a blood bank.

In order to be permitted to take the exam, the following must have been approved:

• a minimum of 90 per cent attendance in laboratory work
• a minimum of 80 per cent attendance in scheduled group work
• laboratory reports in accordance with specified criteria

Supervised individual written exam, 4 hours

Pen/pencil and handed out antigram.

A-F.

All answers are assessed by two examiners. An external examiner is used regularly, at a minimum of every third completion of the course. When selecting answers for external evaluation, a minimum of 10 percent of the answers shall be included, with no fewer than 5 answers. The external examiner’s assessment of the selected answers shall benefit all students.

8.5 credits overlap with the course BIO3100 Transfusion and Transplantation