On completion of this subject the student should be able to:
1. Understand the major differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms;
2. Use basic microbial techniques for characterization and identification of microorganisms;
3. Characterize bacteria based on their morphological, nutritional, cultural and biochemical activities;
4. Provide conditions conducive for cultivation of microorganisms;
5. Understand the mode of actions of physical and chemical agents on microorganisms and apply them in controlling their growth;
6. Describe general characteristics of virus and fungi.
History of microorganisms; Introduction to the biology of viruses, bacteria and fungi; Microbial cell morphology, growth, reproduction and enumeration of microorganisms; Diversity of microorganisms and their environment; Effect of physical and chemical environment on growth; Introduction to microscopy, preparation of microbial samples, identification procedure; General application of microorganisms to life; Methods in general microbiology; A practical program will complement lecture course and will involve microscopy, isolation and identification methods.
Pelczar, M. J., Krieg, N. R., Chan, E. C. S., Microbiology: an application based approach, Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi, India, 2010.
Pelczar, M. J., Krieg, N. R., Chan, E. C. S., Microbiology: concepts and applications, McGraw-Hill, New York, USA, 1993.
Carpenter, P. L., Microbiology, W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia, USA, 1977.
Norton, C. F., Microbiology, Addison-Wesley, Reading, USA, 1986.
Kiss, István, Testing methods in food microbiology, Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1984.
Continuous assessment 40%
Written examination 60% (1×3 hrs.)
Phone: +675 473 4999 Fax: +675 475 7776
