Microbial cell structure and function. (approx. 6 h) Structure, morphology, and size. Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya: a comparison. The cell wall: Gram positive, Gram negative, Archaea. The cell membrane and the secretion and transport systems. Capsules and S-layers. Flagella and swimming motility. Chemotaxis and other taxis. Fimbriae and pili. Cytoplasm. Ribosomes. Nucleoid. Cell inclusions.
Microbial growth. (approx. 6 h) Cell chemistry and nutritional requirements. Nutritional classes of microorganisms. Classes of culture media: defined, complex, selective and differential. Enrichment and pure culture techniques. Population growth. Measuring microbial growth: biomass and cell number determinations. Quantitative aspects and growth curve. Effects of environmental factors on microbial growth: temperature, pH, water availability, oxygen availability. Control of microbial growth: chemical and physical methods.
Metabolism. (approx. 6 h) Energy production. Chemiotrophy. Fermentation. Aerobic respiration. Anaerobic respiration: denitrification, desulfurication, methanogenesis, homoacetogenesis. Chemiolitotro-phy and classes of chemiolitotrophic microorganisms. Oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis. Biosynthesis. Organic compound and CO2 assimilation. Nitrogen fixation and assimilation. P and S assimilation.
Bacterial genetics. (approx. 6 h) Microbial genomes. Chromosome, plasmids, and other genetic elements. Mutations and mutants. Classes of mutants and selection methods. Horizontal gene transfer: conjugation, transformation, transduction. Genome plasticity and evolution. Regulation of gene expression.
Systematics. (approx. 4 h) Species concept in microbiology. Classification and nomenclature. Conventional and molecular taxonomy methods.
Microbial interactions with humans. (approx. 3 h) Normal human microflora. Pathogenic bacteria: reservoirs and transmission. Pathogenicity and virulence. Virulence factors. Endotoxins and esotoxins. Molecular mechanisms of some selected exotoxins. Host defences: an overview.
Antibiotics. (approx. 4 h) Producers. Classification. Mechanisms of action. Methods for evaluating bacteria sensitivity to antibiotics. Biochemistry and genetics of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
For each topic, representative groups of microorganisms will be described.
Yeast and biotechnological applications (approx. 1 h)
Virus. (approx. 2 h) General properties. Structure of the virion. Virus life cycle: overview. Culturing, detecting and counting viruses. Life cycles of some selected bacteriophages and animal viruses.
The biotechnological applications of microorganisms: (approx. 2 h)

The activity in laboratory will be planned in 3 or 4 days. The students will acquire different microbiological skills: aseptical techniques, preparation of solid and liquid cultures, viable count, differential media and Gram staining. They will identify a microorganism isolated from clinical or environmental samples. They will evaluate the activity of different antimicrobial compounds (antibiotics and disinfectants) by means of Kirby-Bauer test and MIC (Minimal Inhibitory Concentration) on isolated microorganisms.