The School of Life · biology, medicine & health
Microbiology & Immunology
The unseen organisms that share our world, and the defenses the body raises against them.
The biology of bacteria, archaea, and other microbes — how they live, grow, and shape our world.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~28 hours
Unit I — The Microbial World
Discovering microbes · Prokaryotic cell structure · The diversity of bacteria and archaea · Classifying microbes
Unit II — Growth and Control
Microbial nutrition · Growth curves and conditions · Sterilization and disinfection · Antibiotics and how they work
Unit III — Microbial Genetics
Mutation and selection · Gene transfer among bacteria · Plasmids and resistance · The rise of resistant strains
Unit IV — Microbes and Us
The human microbiome · Microbes in food and industry · Microbes in the environment · Beneficial and harmful microbes
How the body tells self from invader and mounts a defense — the science behind infection and vaccines.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~28 hours
Unit I — Innate Immunity
Barriers and first responses · Phagocytes and inflammation · The complement system · Pattern recognition
Unit II — Adaptive Immunity
B cells and antibodies · T cells and their roles · Antigen presentation · Immunological memory
Unit III — The Immune Response in Action
Fighting bacteria and viruses · Vaccines and how they train immunity · Blood groups and transfusion · Transplant rejection
Unit IV — When Immunity Misfires
Allergy and hypersensitivity · Autoimmune disease · Immunodeficiency · Immunotherapy in outline
The strange biology of viruses — how they hijack cells, spread, and cause disease.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~24 hours
Unit I — What Is a Virus
The structure of viruses · Classifying viruses · The debate over whether viruses are alive · Growing and counting viruses
Unit II — The Viral Life Cycle
Attachment and entry · Replication strategies · Assembly and release · Latency and persistence
Unit III — Viruses and Disease
How viruses cause harm · The antiviral immune response · Antiviral drugs · Emerging viruses
Unit IV — Viruses in Context
Bacteriophages · Viruses and cancer · Viruses as tools · Pandemics and surveillance
The microbes that cause human disease — how they infect, how we identify them, and how we treat them.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~26 hours
Unit I — Host and Pathogen
The chain of infection · Virulence factors · Normal flora and opportunists · Routes of transmission
Unit II — The Bacterial Pathogens
Gram-positive pathogens · Gram-negative pathogens · The mycobacteria · Diagnosing bacterial infection
Unit III — Beyond Bacteria
Fungal infections · Parasites and protozoa · Viral pathogens in the clinic · Laboratory identification
Unit IV — Treatment and Prevention
Choosing an antimicrobial · Resistance and stewardship · Infection control · Vaccination programs
A first look at the tiny organisms living on us, around us, and inside us every day.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~12 hours
Unit I — Meeting the Microbes
What microbes are · Where they live · Helpful germs and harmful germs · How we first saw them
Unit II — Microbes and Health
How infections spread · Washing hands and why it works · What antibiotics do · How vaccines protect us
Unit III — Microbes at Work
Microbes in food · Yeast and fermentation · Microbes and the soil · The microbes inside you