| Semester 2, 2021 External | |
| Short Description: | Immunopathology & Microbiology |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences |
| School or Department : | School of Health and Wellbeing |
| Student contribution band : | Band 2 |
| ASCED code : | 010911 - Microbiology |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Requisites
Pre-requisite: BIO2106
Rationale
This course builds on the on the medical microbiology and introductory immunology study in second year and is designed to consolidate the student’s knowledge of the essential mechanisms and pathways of a normally functioning human immune system. The course then aims to provide students with an advanced understanding of immunological diseases that are derived from inherited and acquired sources of which many are diagnosed by the propensity for the host to develop infections. Students also undertake instruction in a broad spectrum of immunological diseases including organ specific and systemic autoimmune diseases, tissue allograft rejection and immunodeficiency.
Detailed analysis of specific immune disease syndromes, together with discussion of relevant diagnostic and therapeutic options will enable the student to integrate and advance their investigative skills that can be applied to a range of associated pathology orientated clinical disciplines such as histopathology, haematology, biochemistry and molecular pathology. This study will enhance the student’s capacity to make critical and informed judgements in a professional clinical sciences setting.
Synopsis
This course builds on the foundation theoretical knowledge and practical skill set provided in previous courses in medical microbiology and immunology and provides students with an advanced level of study of the principle mechanisms and pathways that underpin a functional immune system; the pathogenesis of inherited and acquired immunological dysfunctions and the associated host susceptibilities to infectious diseases. This course will consolidate a student's understanding of clinical immunology and then present advanced studies in immunopathology from both innate and acquired disease perspectives that has a focus on understanding dysfunctional immune regulation, aberrant hypersensitivity reactions, immunodeficiency, autoimmunity and allograft rejection. The student's comprehension of specific immunological pathologies will be further supplemented with applied case studies. Students will also gain an advanced understanding of the relationship between immune dysfunction and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. Analysis of complex case studies in dysfunctional immunological syndromes, including emerging immunodeficiency states and autoimmune diseases will continue to provide opportunities for students to develop their investigative and reporting skills. This course will provide students an opportunity to further advance their practical skills in a setting that will also encourage critical thinking during the generation, analysis, interpretation and reporting of complex microbiological data.
This course contains a mandatory residential school for both external and on-campus students.
Objectives
On completion of this course students should be able to:
- Detail the fundamental nature of a normally functioning immune system including differentiating the ontogeny and effector functions of immune cells and the role of MHC I and MHC II in allograft rejection and CD4 and CD8 cell functionality;
- Interpret the role of T cells in immunological functionality including the nature of cytokines mediation on effector functions such immune regulation and immune tolerance;
- Describe the nature of normal and dysfunctional effector functions of innate, adaptive and acquired immune modalities such as hypersensitivity, inflammation, transplantation, vaccinology, immunotherapy, as well as specific immunopathology syndromes of autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, immune tolerance;
- Describe the pathogenesis and diagnosis of specific autoimmune diseases including Rheumatic Heart Disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Sjogren Syndrome, Systemic sclerosis and other immune syndromes and perform analysis of clinical case studies associated with specific autoimmune syndromes;
- Explain the correlation between immunological disease and the host susceptibility to specific or recurrent infections;
- Discuss the practice of clinical microbiology in terms epidemiology, antimicrobial therapeutics and infection control guidelines;
- Perform complex laboratory experiments safely, including conventional and molecular microbiological and immunological investigative methods, data generation, analysis, interpretation and reporting;
- Critically review and interpret relevant literature from research databases in order to analyse laboratory and clinical case studies;
- Display safe infection management and infection control practices relevant to both university residential schools and professional pathology laboratory settings and comply with ethical and privacy standards mandated for the professional healthcare and academic settings.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Review of the normally functional human immune system from cell mediated and humoral immunity perspectives. | 3.00 |
| 2. | The range and functionality of cellular and subcellular immune components including the interaction between innate and acquired immune cells and associated effector functions; cytokine functionality and mediation in immune function; the role of Th (CD4) array of cells in immune functions; the nature and functionality of Major Histocompatibility Complexes on immune function. | 10.00 |
| 3. | A study of specific modalities of normal and dysfunctional immune functions including: immune regulation; hypersensitivity, inflammation, transplantation, vaccines, immunotherapy, immunodeficiency, autoimmunity and immune deficiency, allograft rejection, defects in innate and adaptive immunity. | 24.00 |
| 4. | Examination of specific autoimmune disease syndromes including: Rheumatic heart Disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Sjogren Syndrome, Systemic Sclerosis, Sepsis, Pyrexia of Unknown. | 20.00 |
| 5. |
Analysis of a range of case studies from clinical and applied perspectives that demonstrate immunological involvement in human diseases. |
30.00 |
| 6. | An overview of clinical microbiology perspectives in epidemiology, antimicrobial therapeutics, advances in medical microbiology pathology laboratory methods and infection control guidelines. | 13.00 |
Text and Materials
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2021&sem=02&subject1=BIO3216)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Reference Materials
Student Workload Expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Assessments | 40.00 |
| Online Lectures | 26.00 |
| Online Tutorials | 13.00 |
| Private Study | 62.00 |
| Residential Schools | 24.00 |
Assessment Details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 20 | 20 | 20 Aug 2021 | (see note 1) |
| Case Study | 20 | 20 | 10 Sep 2021 | (see note 2) |
| Laboratory Report | 20 | 20 | 08 Oct 2021 | (see note 3) |
| Open Examination - Online | 40 | 40 | End S2 | (see note 4) |
Notes
- Lecturer to advise the due dates for essay, case study and laboratory report.
- Lecturer to advise the due dates for essay, case study and laboratory report.
- Lecturer to advise the due dates for essay, case study and laboratory report.
- This will be an online exam. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the exam by their course examiner via StudyDesk. The examination date will be available via UConnect when the Alternate Assessment Schedule has been released.
Important assessment information
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Attendance requirements:
It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. To maximize their chances of satisfying the objectives of the practical component of the course, students should attend and actively participate in the laboratory sessions in the course. The use of safe procedures in the laboratory will be strictly enforced and continuously monitored to ensure competent performance by students. Students who fail to attend sufficient number of practical sessions (less than 80% of total sessions) may be excluded from completion of the practical course on grounds of safety. -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course). -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4) -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle), and have satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Proficiency), i.e. the Laboratory Report by achieving at least 50% of the weighted marks available for that assessment item and have satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised), i.e. the end of semester examination by achieving at least 40% of the weighted marks available for that assessment item.
Supplementary assessment may be offered where a student has undertaken all of the required summative assessment items and has passed the Primary Hurdle but failed to satisfy the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised), or has satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised) but failed to achieve a passing Final Grade by 5% or less of the total weighted Marks.
To be awarded a passing grade for a supplementary assessment item (if applicable), a student must achieve at least 50% of the available marks for the supplementary assessment item as per the Assessment Procedure (point 4.4.2). -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course. -
Examination information:
An Online Examination is one in which candidates may have access to any printed, written, or online material as well as a calculator. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Deferred and Supplementary examinations will be held in accordance with the Assessment Procedure . -
University Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
Assessment Notes
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In order to attend laboratory classes, students must provide and wear appropriate personal protective equipment. This shall include a laboratory coat, closed-in shoes, and safety glasses. Such equipment must be approved by supervising staff. Failure to provide and wear the appropriate safety equipment will result in students being excluded from classes.
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Harvard (AGPS) is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use Harvard (AGPS) style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The Harvard (AGPS) style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide.
Other Requirements
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The dates and location of the mandatory residential school are available from the Residential School Timetable (. On-campus students can follow the Class Timetables ( as a guide or enrolled students can refer to their student portal and navigate to Student Centre>Self Service>Timetables>My Weekly Schedule.