Microbial Chemistry and Microbiology   (412B2)

Academic year:

2024/2025.

Attendance requirements:

062B2

ECTS:

7

Study level:

Study program:

Teacher:

Vladimir P. Beškoski, Ph.D.
full professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Assistant:

Kristina B. Kasalica
junior research assistant, Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, Njegoševa 12, Beograd

Hours of instruction:

Weekly: three hours of lectures + four hours of labwork (3+0+4)

Goals:

Introducing students to the basic theoretical knowledge in the field of biology of microorganisms, particularly prokaryotes and prokaryotic viruses; introducing students to the basic techniques in microbiology and the methods used in working with microorganisms.

Outcome:

Understanding the structure and function of cellular and acellular microorganisms at a basic level; the ability to use the literature independently; understanding the basic methods used in the study of microorganisms; acquiring skills necessary for working in a microbiology laboratory.

Teaching methods:

Lectures, interactive teaching, laboratory classes, colloquia, term papers.

Extracurricular activities:

—

Coursebooks:

Main coursebooks:

1. M. T. Madigan, K. S. Bender, D. H. Buckley, W. M. Sattley, D. A. Stahl (editors): Brock's Biology of Microorganisms, 15th Edn., Pearson Education Limited, 2019.
2. H. G. Schlegel: General Microbiology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1986.
3. ł. łŢřÓŘű-ĆŇŘřŢŇŘű, ź. ź. ˛ŕŇŘű: żŕĐÚâŘÚăÜ ×Đ ÜŘÚŕŢŃŘŢŰŢčÚă ĺŐÜŘřă, ¸ĹÂź - ĆŐÝâĐŕ ×Đ ĺŐÜŘřă, ąŐŢÓŕĐÔ, 2003.
4. ˛. ż. ąŐčÚŢáÚŘ, ź. ź. ˛ŕŇŘű: ˇŃŘŕÚĐ ßŘâĐúĐ Ř ×ĐÔĐâĐÚĐ Ř× ÜŘÚŕŢŃŘŢŰŢÓŘřŐ, ÜŘÚŕŢŃŘŢŰŢčÚŐ ĺŐÜŘřŐ Ř ŃŘŢâŐĺÝŢŰŢÓŘřŐ, ĂÝŘŇŐŕ×ŘâŐâ ă ąŐŢÓŕĐÔă - ĹŐÜŘřáÚŘ äĐÚăŰâŐâ, 2017.
5. G. N. Cohen: Microbial Biochemistry, Springer, 2011.
6. ˛. ż. ąŐčÚŢáÚŘ: źĐâŐŕŘřĐŰŘ áĐ ßŕŐÔĐŇĐúĐ Ř ŇŐÖŃŘ

Supplementary coursebooks:

• Various review papers, depending on the topic of the term paper.

Additional material:

—

Lectures:

5 points (3 hours a week)

Syllabus:

• The object of study and importance of microbiology. The methods used in the study of microorganisms.
• The size and shapes of microorganisms, the structure and function of prokaryotic cells. The growth and metabolism of microorganisms. The cell wall.
• The effect of physical and chemical factors on the growth. Biochemical adaptations of extremophiles. An overview of replication, transcription and translation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
• Fundamentals of genetic engineering. General properties of viruses. Bacteriophages and the representative members of animal and plant viruses. Viroids. Prions.
• DNA repair, mutations, transformation, conjugation, transduction.
• Systematics and the representative groups of prokaryotes.
• Microbial metabolism: photosynthesis, chemolithotrophy, nitrogen fixation.
• Aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration, fermentations.
• Biogeochemical cycles.
• The control of microbial growth, antibiotics, pathogenicity of microorganisms.
• Fundamentals of ecological microbiology. Quorum sensing.
• An overview of the application of microorganisms in biotechnological processes and environmental protection. Microbial metabolic engineering.

Labwork:

15 points (4 hours a week)

Syllabus:

• Safety in a microbiology laboratory, sterilization, media preparation.
• Cultivation of microorganisms (MO), working in sterile conditions.
• Analyzing the cultivated microorganisms, microscoping, the Gram staining, the Loeffler staining, the Schaeffer–Fulton staining, determining the size of MO.
• The bacterial growth curve, determining the number of MO using the direct method.
• Determining the number of viable microorganisms using the dilution method (air, water, soil, cheese, yoghurt), a pure culture.
• The isolation of the pure culture of the bacteria of the genera Bacillus, Pseudomonas and Streptomyces.
• Identification of MO using commercial API tests, bacterial fatty acids (GC).
• Determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of tetracycline and plant extracts using the agar diffusion method.
• Antibiotic sensitivity - results and comments, students defend their term papers.
• The final test.

Semester papers:

15 points

Colloquia:

15 points

Written exam:

20 points

Oral exam:

30 points