91195 Epidemiology and Pathogenesis of Infections
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 91314 General Microbiology
Anti-requisite(s): 91330 Epidemiology and Public Health Microbiology
Description
Infectious diseases have had an enormous impact on human civilisation, killing more people than all wars combined. Most viruses and bacteria do not cause infections in humans. In Epidemiology and Pathogenesis of Infections, students explore why and how some organisms cause infections in humans. Students learn about different classes of human pathogens; viral, bacterial and protozoa. Students discuss challenges in treatment, the threat of antibiotic resistance, the importance of vaccinations and pandemic control strategies. Students learn basic epidemiological principles and methods and apply these to investigate real case studies. In practical classes, students explore which bacteria live on your hands and the effectiveness of sanitisers, investigate food poisoning outbreaks, perform viral identification and quantification, and explore and principles in parasitology. Students also perform cell culture techniques involved in viral propagation.
Students who complete this subject develop professional skills relevant to both the infectious disease field and wider sectors, including skills in learning to analyse evidence and apply critical thinking to investigate and identify pathogens. Students apply epidemiological, social, and health interventions to study globally prevalent and emerging infectious diseases, and how this influences populations both locally and globally. Students develop science communication skills and in small groups produce a short video for the wider public explaining the risks of a current human pathogen and how they might mitigate these risks.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Describe and explain the mechanisms of pathogenesis possessed by bacteria, virus and parasites and evaluate key features and mechanisms that enable organisms to cause disease in humans |
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| 2. | Identify and evaluate infections of public health significance at the theoretical level and as a practical skill, including– the features, course, outcomes, consequences and the organisms responsible |
| 3. | Describe and explain epidemiological principles as pertaining to infection and conduct and interpret basic statistics to evaluate transmission and infection outbreaks, risk factors, laboratory and questionnaire investigations and statistical associations, to ascertain what happened, when and why |
| 4. | Critically analyse scientific literature, government and social websites and creatively apply communication skills to advance knowledge and education on organisms that cause diseases that are important in society today. |
| 5. | Apply biological techniques and experimental design to test hypotheses, analyse results and communicate findings about laboratory investigations of organisms that can cause human disease |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of following course intended learning outcomes:
- Explain how diseases arise and disrupt normal physiological function and appraise the technologies used to diagnose, treat, and cure diseases. (1.1)
- Collect, accurately record, interpret, and draw conclusions from data to solve real-world medical problems, and infer how the results of medical research can be translated to improve patient outcomes. (2.1)
- Evaluate ethical, social, and cultural issues in medical science in local and global contexts and work responsibly, safely and with respect to diversity and regulatory frameworks. (3.1)
- Reflect upon, independently evaluate, and critically appraise current evidence-based literature to identify medical problems or unmet medical needs and creatively translate medical research results to improve the clinical care of patients. (4.1)
- Effectively communicate medical science knowledge and research information, and the importance thereof, to a range of audiences using a variety of modes, independently and collaboratively. (5.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
1. Disciplinary knowledge
- The principles of epidemiology and the pathogenesis of major infectious diseases will be explored through lectures, workshops, practical classes and your own self-directed learning. These concepts are assessed in your disease investigation portfolio (1), the practical exam (2) and your group presentation (3).
- Bench-skills in microbiology are an important element of the practical application of the theoretical disciplinary knowledge. You will learn essential practical disciplinary knowledge through hands-on practical classes, assessed in assessment tasks 1 and 2. The subject will use and develop skills in standard laboratory practices including aseptic techniques, inoculations, dilutions, plate and rapid microbiological test interpretation, and the set-up and interpretation of phenotypic identification methods. Proper and safe work practices in a microbiology laboratory are emphasised throughout the classes by instruction and monitoring.
1. An inquiry-based and critical thinking approach is fostered in lectures, workshops and practicals by frequent informal Q & A sessions that are designed to encourage you to use the facts and data you have generated to infer relationships and further your knowledge based on these facts and what they signify. This will be assessed through assessment tasks. Task 1 will examine your disease investigation and report writing. Task 2 will will critically evaluate clinical and laboratory information in a practical exam. Task 3 will encourage enquiry and critical thinking around the chosen topic and how to convey your message to the public.
3. Professional, Ethical and Social Responsibility- During practical classes, you will develop laboratory competencies in microbiology and disease investigation. Your competencies will be assessed as part of Task 1 and in your practical exam in Task 2.
- Science is a collaborative undertaking. Time management skills, organisational skills, teamwork skills, laboratory skills, data handling, and quantitative and graphical literacy skills will all be fostered in practical and workshop group work. They will be formally assessed in Task 3 through the group presentation where you will work collaboratively and creatively to develop a short video presentation on an organism that causes diseases that is important in society today. You will use SPARKplus to assess both your own performance and that of your group members.
- Communication skills: You will verbally present results in practical classes and in a group project to develop and deliver an education campaign in the form of a video presentation, for the general public about a chosen infectious organism. These projects will further develop oral presentation skills which is important for future careers in scientific communication. This will be formally assessed in Task 3 in the workshop presentation. You will hone the professional skills of written communication and numerical literacy via practical reports in Task 2, and contributing to class results and discussions. The practical reports also necessitate an enquiry-oriented approach to seeking out information and its use in the interpretation of practical case studies. This will be assessed in the written practical report. workshops will include tuition on calculations and numerical skills and competency will be determined in assessment Tasks 1, 2 and 3.
- Communication skills: You will verbally present results in practical classes and in a group project to develop and deliver an education campaign in the form of a short video for the general public about a chosen public health issue. The commercial will be assessed on its innovation and creativity and capacity to get the message across.
- The ability to make effective judgments on your own work and that of your peers will be developed via the group workshop project to develop a video aimed at the general public. In assessment Task 3 you will use SPARKplus to reflect upon your own performance and that of your team members. You will also be required to objectively judge and provide feedback on the quality of the presentations developed by your team and others in your workshop and practical group.
- Written scientific communication skills will be developed through the process of writing a report of a public health outbreak including the results from tests undertaken in practical classes and the interpretation of epidemiological data. These skills will be developed through the practical classes, including tutorials on effective communication and how to write a scientific report. This will be assessed in tasks 1 and 2 the practical assessment, the marking criteria will be provided.
- Verbal communication skills will be developed through the process of developing and presenting a video for the general public about an infectious disease. You will also present the results of your laboratory findings to classmates and discuss the implications of these findings. This will be formally assessed in Task 3.
Teaching and learning strategies
Lectures – 1-hour per week. You will be provided with lecture notes and often with pre-lecture material, including videos, papers and public health reports to be read and discussed in the weekly lecture or tutorial. You are encouraged to ask questions and attempt the case studies and questions that accompany each lecture, most of these are provided in your tutorial book, any additions will be posted online.
Practicals – 3 practicals per fortnight; 6 hours total per fortnight for 5 sessions, with discussion of the practical material to be included at the completion of each practical. You need to read your practical notes and prepare for class before each practical session. In each practical you will undertake hands-on laboratory work together in groups and discuss your results with the class. This will involve learning and implementing the methodology required to investigate pathogenic bacteria, viruses and parasites. Teaching Associates in class will help you develop practical and inquiry skills, demonstrating new microbiological techniques and discussing the interpretation of your data.
Workshop – 1 workshop per fortnight; 2 hours total per fortnight for 6 sessions. You will have the opportunity to discuss the material provided in lectures, online and in the workshop notes. You will use this time to develop a short educational video to inform the general public on an infectious disease in small groups. Time will be provided in class to discuss your chosen topic and your preferred method of delivery with your tutor. As a group, you will discuss your work with the class, present your video and receive feedback from other students in your group, from other students in your class and from your tutor.
CANVAS will be used to distribute lecture downloads and other content guides such as group data for practical reports, and for email contact with everyone enrolled in the class. CANVAS will also be used to regularly communicate with your fellow students and to receive important updates throughout the course.
Content (topics)
You will begin with an introduction to the pathogenesis of organisms- bacterial, viral and parasitic. The course will focus on the organisms that cause diseases of public health interest. The mechanisms of pathogenesis of diseases that cause public health problems including, but not limited to; COVID-19, HIV, Tuberculosis, Influenza, Malaria and Salmonella will be discussed. You will learn basic epidemiology, what it is, key terms used to describe epidemiological principles and how epidemiology relates to public health. Lecture and workshop material will be complemented with practical classes that will examine disease case studies involving bacteria, parasites and viruses. This will include determining the causative agents and identifying the likely method of disease transmission. You will write up components of these experiments as part of your Investigation portfolio, culminating in the written investigation report. The importance of vaccinations and their impact on public health will be addressed. Basic epidemiological statistics will be taught. Some of the major groups of infectious diseases and how they cause infection will be discussed. The growing threat of antibiotic resistance and limitations of anti-viral drugs and the lack of vaccines for some diseases will be discussed. How organisms cause infection, including aerosol spread, vector transmitted diseases, blood-borne infections, zoonotic infections, waterborne infections and emerging diseases will be discussed. The impact of pandemics on human civilisation and the threat posed by ongoing and recent events such as SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 will be discussed. The subject will provide the students with an understanding for the fascinating world of microbes, the diseases they cause and how they shape the development of our world today.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Pathogenesis of Infection Portfolio (Quizzes, Data Analysis and Scientific Report)
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary Knowledge 2. Research, Inquiry and Critical Thinking 3. Professional, ethical and Social Responsibility 5. Communication |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): , 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 1.1, 2.1, 3.1 and 5.1 |
| Type: | Portfolio |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 50% |
| Criteria: | Your disciplinary knowledge will be assessed via your description and interpretation of your results and your knowledge demonstrated in your answers to practical and quiz questions. Your professional responsibiity will be assessed via your collaborative work in class to complete your practical tasks, and completion of all the practical questions with the correct use of statistics, and analysis of generated data, as well as your preparation of your work with adherence to guidelines on report writing (rubric will be posted on line and guidelines will be discussed in class also). Your use of research, inquiry and critical thinking will investigate evidence and interpret your data within the scope of published literature. Your written communication skills will be assessed by your correct presentation of the sections of your report and the correct use of English language and grammar. |
Assessment task 2: Practical Experimentation
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary Knowledge 2. Research, inquiry and critical thinking 5. Communication |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): , 1, 3 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 1.1, 2.1 and 5.1 |
| Type: | Laboratory/practical |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Criteria: | You will be assessed on your disciplinary knowledge and your critical thinking and inquiry approach to meaningfully interpret the laboratory findings and provide appropriate and comprehensive answers, including calculations, to the questions asked. Your analytical and research skills will be assessed by your capacity to undertake and analyse microbiological tests and generated data and by your correct use of statistics. Your written communication skills will be assessed by your correct use of English language and grammar. |
Assessment task 3: Group Presentation
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary knowledge 2. Research, Inquiry and Critical Thinking: 3. Professional, Ethical and Social Responsibility 4. Reflection, Innovation, Creativity 5. Communication |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): , 1 and 2 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1 and 5.1 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Criteria: | This task builds on and will assess multiple graduate attributes, you will use disciplinary knowledge and its appropriate application to chose, research and effectively communicate the topic. It will require research and critical thinking and the utilization of a range of professional skills including the epidemiological skills developed in this course to develop the media presentation. You will be asked to reflect on your involvement and make judgments about your own work and that of your colleagues. This tasks directly engages with your professional, ethical and social responsibility to highlight the pathogenesis and risks of an organism of pubic health significance. It will test your communication skills and your ability to work creatively to devise and present an education campaign to the general public. Your verbal communication skills will be assessed by your correct use of English language. |
Minimum requirements
A total of 50% or higher must be obtained for a pass in this subject.