Bacterial Pathogenesis

Infectious disease is among the strongest agents of natural selection, and adaptations constituting the armament of pathogens and the defense of the host involve many of the most fascinating mechanisms in biology. This course presents a modern view of the fundamental biology of bacterial and viral disease in the context of molecular mechanisms of host defense. A detailed knowledge of cellular and molecular components of the immune system will be integrated with current understanding of microbial virulence strategies, to provide a working understanding of biological mechanisms important in health and disease. The course is organized as three integrated sections focusing on the fields of virology, bacterial pathogenesis, and immunology. BBS755b focuses on bacterial pathogenesis. Students will obtain a background for advanced course work in each of these disciplines. We will focus on three themes; (1) basic properties of microbes and the innate and adaptive immune defenses that have evolved to respond to them, (2) the interplay¿in both dynamic and evolutionary sense¿between host defenses and microbial virulence, and (3) the mechanisms of pathogenesis during infection. Comparative clinical and epidemiological pictures of selected diseases will be presented, and will serve as a framework for development of key molecular, cellular, and physiological concepts.