Medical Microbiology
BIOL-40367
Gain an Introduction to Medical Microbiology
This undergraduate-level course introduces students to bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa and emphasizes host-microbe interactions and bacterial and viral pathogens. Students will explore biological characteristics of microbes, principles of disease transmission and prevention, pathogenesis and immunity, antibiotic resistance, laboratory diagnosis of infectious disease, and the human microbiome.
This course is ideally suited for students interested in applying to Clinical Laboratory Scientist programs, and others who are interested in microorganisms that cause infectious disease.
Prerequisites
This course assumes that students are familiar with college-level biology.
Format
This course is offered in an online asynchronous format.There are no set meeting times, however, students follow a weekly schedule and there will be deadlines to meet in terms of course requirements. This course cannot be completed at an accelerated rate.
Transferring for College Credit
Many courses at UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies may be eligible for college credit at UC San Diego or other institutions. Credit transfer is determined by the receiving institution. We recommend consulting with the registrar's office at your intended institution before enrolling to confirm how your courses will transfer.
Learning Objectives
- Understand how microbes cause infectious disease
- Describe a range of bacterial, viral, and eukaryotic pathogens responsible for infectious disease in terms of biological characteristics, pathogenesis and epidemiology, diseases caused, immunological interactions, diagnosis, treatment, prevention)
- Summarize the basics of innate and adaptive immunity and how microbes and the immune system interact
- Discuss basic laboratory diagnostic techniques used to identify and classify microbial pathogens
Course Information
Course sessions
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
Microbiology with Diseases by Taxonomy 6th
by Robert W. Bauman
ISBN / ASIN: 9780134832302
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 11/18/2024
Schedule:
Instructor: Jesse Wilson
Jesse Wilson is a microbial ecologist and environmental scientist who has researched microorganisms in aquatic ecosystems all over the world. His research involves assessing how changes in the microbial community and microbial functioning affects and is affected by changes in the environment, with a focus on positive feedback loops and microbial responses to phytoplankton blooms. He is particularly well versed in statistical and machine learning techniques that are capable of dealing with the high dimensional data that is obtained when looking at complex microbial communities.
Jesse received his B.S. in Environmental Science from CSU Channel Islands (2007) and his Ph.D. in Environmental Systems from UC Merced (2017). While at UCM, Jesse taught and created content for a wide range of natural science courses. He was also able to research the efficacy of different teaching strategies and presented a case study from this work at multiple conferences.
Jesse left Merced for San Diego in 2018 to work as a postdoctoral researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. At SIO, Jesse tracked drivers of change in the microbial community off the Scripps Pier by combining environmental time-series sampling with microbiology and bioinformatics. As much as he loved working at SIO, Jesse missed teaching and was ecstatic to start teaching with UCSD Extension.
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
Microbiology with Diseases by Taxonomy 6th
by Robert W. Bauman
ISBN / ASIN: 9780134832302
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 1/20/2025
Schedule:
Instructor: Laura Fandino, Ph.D., J.D.
Assistant Dean of UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies for Academic Affairs & Director of Science and Sustainability Programs
Laura Fandino also directs the university's public-facing Science & Sustainability programs. She is both a scientist and lawyer by training and received her Ph.D. in Marine Biology from UC San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law. Laura's scientific research primarily focused on the molecular ecology of bacteria associated with marine phytoplankton blooms, and she is published in the field of microbial ecology.
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
Microbiology with Diseases by Taxonomy 6th
by Robert W. Bauman
ISBN / ASIN: 9780134832302
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 1/20/2025
Schedule:
Instructor: Lisa Zeigler
Dr. Lisa Zeigler (Allen) is an Assistant Research Scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego (UCSD) and Assistant Professor in the Microbial and Environmental Genomics Group at the J. Craig Venter Institute. Dr. Zeigler Allen received a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Washington State University and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD). She has extensive experience in the area of viral genomics, specifically using environmental metagenomic and metatranscriptomic tools to investigate food web interactions in the ocean. In addition, Dr. Zeigler Allen has developed curricula as part of local outreach for K-12 students related to the oceans, their microbiome, and connections to human-influenced perturbations to over 50,000 student contacts over the last four years.
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
Microbiology with Diseases by Taxonomy 6th
by Robert W. Bauman
ISBN / ASIN: 9780134832302
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 2/3/2025
Schedule:
Instructor: Jesse Wilson
Jesse Wilson is a microbial ecologist and environmental scientist who has researched microorganisms in aquatic ecosystems all over the world. His research involves assessing how changes in the microbial community and microbial functioning affects and is affected by changes in the environment, with a focus on positive feedback loops and microbial responses to phytoplankton blooms. He is particularly well versed in statistical and machine learning techniques that are capable of dealing with the high dimensional data that is obtained when looking at complex microbial communities.
Jesse received his B.S. in Environmental Science from CSU Channel Islands (2007) and his Ph.D. in Environmental Systems from UC Merced (2017). While at UCM, Jesse taught and created content for a wide range of natural science courses. He was also able to research the efficacy of different teaching strategies and presented a case study from this work at multiple conferences.
Jesse left Merced for San Diego in 2018 to work as a postdoctoral researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. At SIO, Jesse tracked drivers of change in the microbial community off the Scripps Pier by combining environmental time-series sampling with microbiology and bioinformatics. As much as he loved working at SIO, Jesse missed teaching and was ecstatic to start teaching with UCSD Extension.
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
Microbiology with Diseases by Taxonomy 6th
by Robert W. Bauman
ISBN / ASIN: 9780134832302
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 2/24/2025
Schedule:
Instructor: David O'Keefe
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
Microbiology with Diseases by Taxonomy 6th
by Robert W. Bauman
ISBN / ASIN: 9780134832302
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 3/10/2025
Schedule:
Instructor: Jesse Wilson
Jesse Wilson is a microbial ecologist and environmental scientist who has researched microorganisms in aquatic ecosystems all over the world. His research involves assessing how changes in the microbial community and microbial functioning affects and is affected by changes in the environment, with a focus on positive feedback loops and microbial responses to phytoplankton blooms. He is particularly well versed in statistical and machine learning techniques that are capable of dealing with the high dimensional data that is obtained when looking at complex microbial communities.
Jesse received his B.S. in Environmental Science from CSU Channel Islands (2007) and his Ph.D. in Environmental Systems from UC Merced (2017). While at UCM, Jesse taught and created content for a wide range of natural science courses. He was also able to research the efficacy of different teaching strategies and presented a case study from this work at multiple conferences.
Jesse left Merced for San Diego in 2018 to work as a postdoctoral researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. At SIO, Jesse tracked drivers of change in the microbial community off the Scripps Pier by combining environmental time-series sampling with microbiology and bioinformatics. As much as he loved working at SIO, Jesse missed teaching and was ecstatic to start teaching with UCSD Extension.
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
All course materials are included unless otherwise stated.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 4/7/2025
Schedule:
Instructor: Laura Fandino, Ph.D., J.D.
Assistant Dean of UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies for Academic Affairs & Director of Science and Sustainability Programs
Laura Fandino also directs the university's public-facing Science & Sustainability programs. She is both a scientist and lawyer by training and received her Ph.D. in Marine Biology from UC San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law. Laura's scientific research primarily focused on the molecular ecology of bacteria associated with marine phytoplankton blooms, and she is published in the field of microbial ecology.