Evolution of microorganisms and their classification.
Form and structure of the bacterial cell.
Bacterial reproduction; the production of spores: structure, sporogenesis, germination.
Microbial growth: culture media.
Bacterial metabolism: energy production, bacterial nutrition.
Pathogenic bacterial action: bacterial multiplication in vivo and toxigenicity.
Antimicrobial agents: mechanism of action, resistance to chemoantibiotics, antibiogram.
Sterilization and disinfection.
Description and pathogenesis of the main bacteria of medical interest (staphylococci, streptococci, Neisseriaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, M. tuberculosis).
Structure of metabolism and reproduction of the fungal cell.
Pathogenic action of the fungi.
Antifungal antibiotics.
Description and pathogenesis of the main fungi of medical interest (Candida, Aspergillus, dimorphic fungi).
Structure and chemical composition of viruses: viral proteins, viral nucleic acid, lipid envelope, virus glycoproteins. Classification criteria.
Mode of transmission of viruses.
Viral replication: mode of penetration, replication of the genome and synthesis of viral components, modality of viral progeny release.
Pathogenesis of viral infection: entry route, virus spread, cell damage, disease, recovery from infection.
Antiviral drugs.
General principles of virological diagnostics: methods for the identification of the viral genome, of proteins, of antibodies against the virus.
Description and pathogenesis of the main viruses of medical interest (HIV, hepatic viruses, CMV)
Nosocomial infections.