PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Medical Genetics, Immunology and Microbiology PAS-421-1 and PAS-521-1 – Microbiology and Immunology components (Pre-requisites – S219 and S221)

Fall Semester 2008

The object of this course is to provide the Physician Assistant with a thorough understanding of the subjects of Genetics, Immunology and Microbiology. The Microbiology component will cover important aspects of microbes in disease necessary for the Physician Assistant including antibiotic resistance mechanisms, emerging pathogens and global issues of disease. The Immunology component will examine vaccinology as well as malfunctions of immunity, including allergy, contact sensitivity, autoimmunity.

Required Textbooks:  None.

Required Notes:  None. A series of Power Points on CD-ROM will be available direct from the University Bookstore

Academic Honesty: Cheating on exams will not be tolerated. Students guilty of infractions face immediate action as described in the student handbook.

Attendance policy: You are expected to attend all classes and be punctual (not late by more than 10 minutes). Chronic absence or tardiness will result in a lowering of your final semester grade by as much as a full letter grade.

Evaluation                

Examinations: There will be two one-hour exams, one each for the sections of Microbiology and Immunology, consisting of multiple choice questions. Each exam comprises 25% of your grade for the semester.

Power Point Presentation: In 19 pairs, thirty-eight students will be required to produce a Power Point presentation for either the Microbiology or Immunology section of the course based on the topics to be covered. This presentation will be given after the corresponding lecture (e.g. vaccine presentations on September 17^th) and will be worth 20% of your grade. Presentations should be restricted to a maximum of 10-15 minutes of class time to present (i.e. no longer than 7 slides) and slides should not be overcomplicated in construction. Content should be informative to peers and represent a good primer about the condition/ vaccine. Students should also prepare a one page handout for the rest of the class that includes at least three sources that they may use to gain further information.

Tourist flyer: A small number of students will not be involved in the Power Point presentations. Instead they will be asked to prepare individual flyers/ handouts for potential tourists going to a country in which an infectious disease is endemic. Tourists should be informed as to how the disease is spread, means of prevention and signs and symptoms of the infection. Choices for the diseases will be as follows: -

1.       Rotavirus and Vietnam http://www.path.org/vaccineresources/files/Rotavirus_severe_childhood_diarrhea.pdf

2.       Leishmaniasis and Brazil http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/stellent/groups/corporatesite/@msh_publishing_group/documents/web_document/wtd038095.pdf  

3.       Malaria and Cameroon http://www.afro.who.int/malaria/country-profile/cameroon.pdf

4.       Sleeping sickness and Southern Sudan http://www.jcu.edu.au/jrtph/vol/v02pagey2.pdf

5.       Cholera and Bangladesh http://tcdc.undp.org/Sie/experiences/vol11/Chpt_1.pdf

6.       Dengue fever and Singapore http://www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/Dengue_Bulletin_Volume_25_ch7.pdf

Grades:  Your final letter grades will be assigned as follows with below 60 as failing grade.