BIOL M380

Any single case of infectious disease presents a multi-faceted problem; pathogenesis is directly related to the specific molecular interactions of the pathogen with the host cell and immune system. Additionally, pathogenesis influences, and is also influenced by, the mode and efficiency of disease transmission. The significant roles played by ecological and environmental factors in determining the capacity for disease spread within a population further compound the complexity of problems presented by epidemic diseases. The course is designed to guide you through the complex subject of infectious disease. The process will build on basic biological principles examining different agents of disease, the major modes of transmission, interaction of pathogens with the host immune system, and the ecological factors facilitating or inhibiting the emergence of epidemic disease. Therefore, the goal of the course is to utilize the subject of infectious disease to introduce you to different classes of microbes, examine their basic biology, the means by which they cause disease, and how they spread within the human population.