Microbiology for Surgical Technology

Summary of Topics Covered and Learning Objectives:

Definitions of the following. Students should be able to describe the basic characteristics of the organisms in each of these categories:

bacteriology

protozoology

virology

mycology

Students should be able to answer these questions:

What is a cell?

What do proteins do?

What does genetic information do?

How do procaryotic cells differ from eucaryotic cells?

Students should be able to describe the common bacterial morphologies, (i.e., their shapes and arrangements).

Students should be able to identify the basic function and role of these bacterial structures in infection and disease processes:

cell wall

endospore

fimbria

flagella

glycocalyx

pili

plasma membrane

Students should be able to describe the differences between gram positive and gram negative bacteria. This would include the role of these groups of bacteria in disease and the differences posed by them in antimicrobial therapy choices.

Students should be able to describe the physical factors that influence bacterial growth - particularly pH, temperature and oxygen. How does these physical factors relate to disease?

Students should be prepared to recognize the following organisms or diseases in multiple choice question or in matching question based on what was covered in class. This would include understanding how these organisms and diseases are transmitted:

Candida albicans	diptheria	ameba
cholera	Escherichia coli O157:H7	athlete’s foot
Enteric organisms	gonorrhea	bovine spongiform encephalopathy
giardia	human immunodeficiency virus	coral cuts
group A beta hemolytic strep	influenza virus	Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease
Herpes virus	jock itch	dermatophytes
Leptospirosis	Lactobacillus	hepatitis B and C
pinworms	lytic virus	lysogenic virus
retrovirus	malaria	multidrug resistant tuberculosis
ring worm	mold	Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Staphylococcus aureus/MRSA	necrotizing fasciitis	Septic shock
syphilis	prion	Streptococcus pyogenes
yeast	Salmonella	toxic shock syndrome

Students should be prepared to define and discuss the following terms and ideas:

etiology pathogenesis infection disease communicable disease noncommunicable disease normal microbiota transient microbiota nonliving reservoir human reservoir animal reservoir virulence phagocytosis specific resistance active immunity passive immunity thermal death time pasteurize sterilize

direct contact transmission indirect contact transmission arthropod vector transmission droplet transmission vehicle transmission airborne transmission subacute infection acute infection chronic infection nosocomial infection iatrogenic infection resistance susceptibility nonspecific resistance innate resistance acquired immunity natural immunity artificial immunity

Students should be prepared to describe the issues surrounding nosocomial infections:

What are compromised patients, superbugs, and invasive procedures.

What is the role of handwashng in preventing nosocomial infections

Students should be prepared to describe how microorganisms manage to invade the human host.

Compare the skin to the mucous membranes.

Where are mucous membranes found on the body?

What is the parenteral route?

How do endotoxins differ from exotoxins?

What is septic shock, toxic shock, septicemia?

Students should be able to identify and describe the mechanical and chemical factors that prevent microbes from entering the body through the skin, eyes, digestive tract, respiratory tract, urinary tract reproductive tract. How does all of this differ from the way bacteria enter through wounds?

Students should be able to name and describe the function of the different white blood cells - especially neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages, lymphocytes (T and B cells). What are CD4 cells and CD8 cells?

Students should be able to define and describe inflammation.

Students should be able to answer the following questions:

What is an antigen?

How does an antigen relate to a vaccine?

What is a vaccine?

What’s the difference between an attenuated vaccine and a killed vaccine?

What is antibody and how does it relate to specific immunity?

Students should be able to describe the difference between the use of steam or hot air as sterilizing agents.

Students should be know the following:

How does incineration rate as a sterilizing technique?

What are the common antimicrobial radiation techniques?

Define disinfectant, antiseptic, bacteriocidal, bacteriostatic, sporocidal, myobacteriocidal, virocidal.

What is the effect of freezing on microbes?

Students should know the antimicrobial spectrum of the following antibacterial agents:

phenolics chlorine alcohol metal compounds (silver, mercury, zinc)

iodine aldehydes ethylene oxide oxidizing agents (peroxide) quaternary ammonium compounds

Students should be able to answer the following questions

How does antibiotic resistance develop?

Why is resistance so common in the hospital?

What is meant by ‘antibiotic susceptiblity testing’?

What do the acronyms VRE, MRSA and MDRTB stand for?

Students should know the mode of action of the following antibiotics:

sulfonomides trimethoprim aminoglycosides vancomycin

penicillin cephalosporin tetracycline erythromycin quinolones