Methods of Molecular Diagnostics in Bacteriology and Mycology
Code
21224
Academic unit
NOVA Medical School | Faculdade de Ciências Médicas
Department
Medical Bacteriology/Medical Mycology
Credits
6
Teacher in charge
Profª. Doutora Isabel Maria dos Santos Leitão Couto
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
At the end of the UC, students should:
1. Understand the fundamentals of molecular diagnostic methods; their application to the laboratorial microbiological diagnosis, advantages and limitations.
2. Become familiar with rapid diagnostic tests and the processes involved in its development and production; particularly in the context of the decentralized diagnosis (pointofcare).
3. Understand and differentiate the concepts of identification and typing.
4. Understand the patterns of fungal infections and the need to implement rapid diagnosis tools.
5. To be able to execute and critically analyze examples of applications of molecular tools for the diagnosis of bacterial and fungal infections.
Prerequisites
n/a
Subject matter
Lectures:
1 - Methods of molecular diagnosis based on nucleic acids. Hybridization; amplification and sequencing. Biosensors, nanotechnology.
2 - Molecular methods of micro bial typing.
3 - Application of molecular methods to the general course of microbiological diagnosis and to the study of the epidemiology of clinically relevant fungi advantages, limitations, reliability and applicability.
4 - Largescale and highthroughput molecular approaches in the detection and characterizat ion of fungal agents.
Theoreticalpractical and practical classes:
1 - Molecular detection of multidrug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis by nestedPCR and reverse hybridization.
2 - Identification of capsular types of Streptococcus Group A by sequencing specific surface protein M genes (emmtyping).
3 - Molecular typing of clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii by PCRRFLP and MLST.
4 - Detection of several species of Candida with fluorescence in situ hybridization.
Bibliography
- Patricia, M. Tille. (2014) Bailey & Scott's Diagnostic Microbiology. Elsevier, 13ª Ed.
- Larry, S., Peters, J. E., Henkin, T. M. & Champness, W. (2013). Molecular Genetics of Bacteria. ASM Press, 4th Ed.
- Viveiros, M., Couto, I., Inácio, J. (2014) Diagnóstico Molecular. In: Barroso, H., MeliçoSilvestre, A., Taveira, N. (Eds). Microbiologia Médica (vol. 1). Lidel, Edições Técnicas. Lisboa
- Sin, M.L., Mach, K.E., Wong, P.K., Liao, J.C. (2014) Advances and challenges in biosensorbased diagnosis of infectious diseases. Expert Rev Mol Diagn, 14, 225244.
- Zhang, S.X. (2013) Enhancing Molecular Approaches for Diagnosis of Fungal Infections. Future Microbiol, 8, 15991611.
Teaching method
Lectures are predominantly taught with an expositive method, with the goal of teaching students the relevant knowledge of molecular diagnostic methods in bacteriology and mycology. The expositive-participatory method is suitable for the presentation of the contents covered in the UC, being aligned with the intended learning outcomes 1 to 4, in which students "know" and "understand" the taught subjects. The fifth intended learning outcome requires higher level cognitive skills by the students, in which they should be able to "execute and critically analyze" the application of molecular diagnostics methods. Therefore, for ensuring a suitable alignment of teaching methodologies with this particular intended learning outcome, these topics are addressed in theoretical-practical and laboratory classes in which students develop experimental work and learn by doing, by applying the knowledge acquired. The assessment of this UC has two components. With a weight of 75% for the final mark, students should attend a final written exam on the contents taught in lectures, theoretical-practical and laboratory classes, incorporating multiple choice questions. The alignment of this assessment tool with intended learning outcomes involving the "knowing" and "understanding" of materials by the students is widely described in the educational literature, and considered to be methods with high reliability, transparency and authenticity (e.g. Hift 2014. BMC Medical Education 14:249). Educational research also highlights the utility of multiple choice questions in the assessment of intended learning outcomes of higher cognitive levels, including the "excursion" and "critical analysis", being particularly useful in the context of health sciences subjects (e.g. Palmer and Devitt 2007. BMC Medical Education 7:49). The multiple-choice questions that are part of the examination are built in accordance with internationally recognized guidelines in health sciences education (Case and Swanson 2000. Constructing written test questions for the basic and clinical sciences. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: National Board of Medical Examiners), ensuring its alignment with the learning outcomes of the curricular unit. The remaining 25% of the final mark to the UC are obtained by presentation of individual seminars by students on topics proposed by those and based on scientific articles. This assessment method based on the presentation of topics by students is particularly useful in the appraisal of abilities related to "execution" and "critical analysis" (Biggs and Tang, 2011. Teaching for quality learning at university. 4th ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press; Race, 2007. The Lecturer's Toolkit. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge), and it is therefore aligned mainly with the fifth intended learning outcome of the UC. The presentation and discussion of research works by students encourages their creativity and provide excellent opportunities for feedback on their oral performance.
Evaluation method
The theoretical concepts are taught by an expositive method, promoting interaction, oriented dialogue and
discussion with students, stimulating the pedagogical action. The theoretical practical and laboratory classes are carried out in groups of two to four students. The assessment is performed by a final written exam on the contents taught in lectures, theoretical practical and lab classes, incorporating multiple-choice
questions (75% total classification), plus presentation of a seminar based on an article describing a molecular diagnostic approach, chosen and presented individually by each student (25% total classification). Rating scale is between 0 and 20 values. Students rated 9.5 or higher in both components will be approved.