Biology 65 Syllabus - Columbia College

INTRODUCTION TO MICROBIOLGY
Biology 65--Spring 2013
Lecture T/Th 8:00am-9:25am in Sugar Pine 126
Lab T/Th 9:40am-11:05am (section 0497) or 11:20am-12:45pm( section 0496) in Sugar Pine 207
Instructor information: Helen Clyatt Yost, M.D. email: yosth@yosemite.edu phone: 736-9456
office: adjunct office Tamarack 209, cubicle A hours: Tues 1-2pm and by arrangement
Course Description: This is a college level, transferable, four unit, lab science course in introductory
microbiology. Since many students take this class as a prerequisite for nursing or other health-related
fields, in addition to general principals of microbial identification, growth, culture, and safe handling,
we particularly consider microbes that cause human illness and human defenses against infectious
disease. Aside from disease, however, we hope you'll gain appreciation for microbiologist Mark
Wheelis's statement that "the earth is fundamentally a microbial planet" and marvel at the diversity and
significance of microbial life.
Four themes run through this course:
I. Microbes are incredibly diverse.
II. Microbes are indispensable for continued life on the planet.
III. Humans and microbes interact every day in many ways.
IV. Human activities are contributing to the emergence and spread of infectious diseases.
Texts: Tortora, Funk, and Case Microbiology, an Introduction, (11th edition preferred, 10th ok) is the
required text for this class. Expensive as such textbooks are, this one is worth purchasing to keep as a
reference, especially for anyone entering a health care field. It is readable, highly cross-referenced, and
includes many useful charts and illustrations.
Mark Walters Six Modern Plagues and How We Are Causing Them is required reading. It is written for
a general audience and may be found in a public library.
Leboffe and Pierce A Photographic Atlas for the Microbiology Laboratory, also required, has excellent
photos and background information both for laboratory work and some of the lecture topics. .
George Sackheim An Introduction to Chemistry for Biology Students is useful for its teach-yourself
presentation of chemistry fundamentals important in the biological sciences, and is an optional text.
Each of these books will be available on reserve in the Columbia College library.
Blackboard: This syllabus, assignments, lecture outlines and notes, slides, study guides, links, and
announcements will be posted throughout the semester on Blackboard. Information on accessing
Blackboard for this class is available on the college home page under Distance Learning--> Student
Resources. Also be sure to activate your student email since that is the way I can reach you.
Grading:
4 lecture/lab exams = 200-325 points A: 90% and above
class assignments = 40-100 points B: 80-89%
lab reports and skills = 115-130 points C: 70-79%
lab skills comprehensive exam= 50-75 points D: 60-69%
comprehensive final= 120-170 points F: less than 60%
total = 525-800 points (approximate point count, and ranges above are approximate)
Late work is discouraged but accepted up until the assignment is handed back to the class. There will
be a twenty percent penalty unless prior arrangement has been made. For true emergencies on exam

days, please leave a voice or email with the instructor as soon as possible. Written documentation (eg.
doctor's note, court papers, funeral notice, police report) is a good way to explain the circumstances.
Make-up exams may be all essay or oral at the instructor's discretion. Assignments and lab reports may
be left in the instructor's box in Manzanita. It's best to notify the instructor if you are doing this.
Attendance: Past experience shows that good attendance at all class sessions makes successful
completion of the course more likely. In the laboratory where skills in safely handling microbes are
learned sequentially, repeated absences will render a student potentially a danger to him/herself and
others. For this reason a student frequently absent from the lab will be dropped from the class.
Lab Schedule and Tentative Lecture Schedule:
Wk Date Lecture Topics (Tortora chapter) Lab Exercises (Leboffe pages)
(T=10th ed pages; E= 11th ed pages)
1 1/15 Intro; History microbiology, overview
microbes; classification (1; 10 T:p.274-282;
E:p.272-281) (Leboffe p. 165-7, archaea)
Intro; Safety; Media; Handwashing
(p.1- 4)
1/17 continue microbiology history Preparation of media, sterilization
2 1/22 review chemistry basics: macromolecules,
reactions, pH, ATP (2)
1/24 Microscopy (3)(Leboff p. 31-36)
biofilms (T:p. 162-163; E: p. 160-161)
3 1/29 Cell Structure and Function--Prokaryotes (4)
current event #1 due
1/31 Cell Structure and Function--Procaryotes and
Eukaryotes (4)
Microscope use (p.31-36)
Bring pond water Wet mounts--water and
termite gut microbes (p.55; p.170-176)
Bring interesting food sample Ubiquitous
microbes; selective, differential media
(p.5-6, 11-12 ); continue wet mounts as
needed; aseptic transfer practice
4 2/5 Exam #1
Evaluate environmental plates; (p.19-27)
streak plates for isolation (p.5-6)
Simple Stain--prokaryotes and eukaryotes
(p. 37-44); evaluate streak plates ;
evaluate Sab plates
2/7 Metabolism: enzymes, oxidation-reduction,
ATP (5)
Gram Stain (p.45-48)
5 2/12 Metabolism: carbohydrate catabolism, aerobic
and anaerobic (5)
2/14 Metabolism: Fermentation; Fermentation
technology; photosynthesis
(5; 28 T:p. 797-800; E: 805-807)
6 2/19 Metabolic Diversity; nitrogen and sulfur cycles
(5; 11 T:p.313-315.E: p. 320-324;
27 T: 768-774; E: P. 776-780)
2/21 wrap up metabolism and cycles
Microbial Growth Requirements(6)
Negative Stain (p. 38); aseptic transfers;
dilution theory (p.217-219)
Milk analysis, Bring sample
Evaluate quantitative milk plates;
Endospore Stain (p.51-54)
Anaerobic cultures (p.27-30)

7 2/26 Exam #2 Evaluate anaerobic cultures and subculture
gaspak organism;
set up fungal slide cultures (p. 178-182)
lecture in lab
2/28 Control of microbial growth:
(7: 28 T:p.794-797; E: 800-804 )
8 3/5 Microbial Genetics: DNA structure and
replication (8)
current event #2 due
3/7 Genetic expression, transfer, mutation (8)
(Leboffe p. 114-116)
Evaluate anaerobic subculture;
Set up Chemical Control test;
Bring samples (p.223-5)
Evaluate chemical control plates and
subculture; evaluate fungal slide cultures,
prepare yeast wet mounts (p. 178-182)
continue fungal slides, wet mounts as
needed; evaluate chemical control
subculture; Water analysis (p.11; 228)
Tortora (T:p, 779-81; E: 784-787)
Bring water samples
9 3/12 continue microbial genetics evaluate water analysis plates;
Video: When Wonder Drugs Don't Work;
MRSA detection (p.14)
3/14 continue microbial genetics
Viruses (13)
(Leboffe p. 117-122)
evaluate MRSA plates
Acid-fast Stain (p.49-50)
(Tortora T:p.594, 619-620, 682-686;
E: p. 599, 625-626,688-691)
10 3/19 Exam #3 Set up Plaque Assay for phage count
(p. 220-221; 117-119)
3/21 Viruses cont. (polio T:p. 621-2; E:626-8;
rabies T: p. 622-4; E: 628-30;
influenza T:p. 692-5; E: 699-701)
11 3/26 continue viruses
Biotechnology and Recombinant DNA (9)
(Leboffe 109-113)
3/28 continue biotechnology
Selected eucaryotes (12)
12 4/2 Normal microbiota; principals of disease and
epidemiology(14; vector-borne examples:
lyme disease T:p.652-4; E: 658-60,
plague T:p.648-652; E: 655-8)
4/4 Microbial Pathogenicity; Toxins; Food-Borne
Illness (15; tetanus T: p.615; E: 621-2;
botulism T: p.618; E: 622-5;
gastroenteritidies T:p.710-718; E: 716-722)
Set up p-Blu transformation exercise;
evaluate plaque assay
Evaluate transformation exercise;
Streak unknowns for isolation
lecture in lab
Plate pure cultures of unknowns;
Microbial Metabolism: inoculate QRST
organisms for glucose, IMViC, TSI (p.71;
74-5; 82; 98;64-65; 95-96)
Identify QRST orgs;
Gram stain unknowns
Inoculate unknowns for sugars, IMViC,
Litmus milk (p. 78-80), TSI

13 4/9 Exam #4
(includes Six Modern Plagues)
Other special media and tests:(p. 96-97; 73;
15; 63-64; 14; 70-71) Evaluate IMViC,
sugars, TSI for unknowns
4/11 Host Defenses (16,17) Continue unknowns; Parasites (p193-216)
14 4/16 Host Defenses (16,17)
4/18 Host Defenses; Vaccines; Monoclonal
Antibodies (16, 17, 18)
15 4/23 Microbial ID and diagnostics (10 T: p.282-294;
E: 281-294 18 T: p.509-518; E: 511-523
Leboffe p. 98-108)
4/25 Hepatitis (T:p.721-8; E: 729-32);
STI's (T:p.744-761; E: 754-765)
16 4/30 Comprehensive Final
8 am-10 am
Set up Nose and Throat Cultures (p.61,65-6)
Evaluate Nose and Throat Cultures
(p.61; 65-66)
finish up and review
Lab Skills Comprehensive Exam
Columbia College is committed to providing access to students with disabilities. If you have or
believe you have a condition which requires special accommodations, please see me before the
first exam so that we can talk about your options.
The Student Conduct Code, found in the Student Handbook and college catalog, is the governing
document for this and all Columbia College classes.
Additional Lab Information: A lab packet will be available at the first lab. This packet and
supplemental handouts form the beginning of a loose-leaf lab notebook to be kept by each student. The
notebook will contain notes on the lab exercises, sketches of microscope observations, notes of
techniques, work in progress, and reports as indicated below . Use lined, unlined, and graph paper as
you wish.
Keeping careful records is an extremely important skill in science, and the notebook may be reviewed
from time to time by the instructor. Formal reports will be derived from these notes as indicated.
Format for reports is specified in the lab packet, and those listed in bold are to be in formal scientific
report format.
All lab work (rough notes, exercises, reports, exams) should be retained in the lab notebook for the
entire semester.

Lab skills and assignments Due dates Points Scores
media calculations and glo-germ evaluation in notebook
microscope report form in notebook
pond water/ termite gut report 2/5 5
environmental plate report with simple stain 2/14 5
dilution problems in notebook
milk analysis report in notebook
streak plate 5
gram stain 5
negative stain (4) or with spirochete (5) 4 or 5
endospore stain 5
acid-fast stain 5
anaerobic culture report 3/12 15
fungal slides (Rhodotorula 3, Rhizopus 3, Penicillium 4) 10
chemical control report 3/21 15
plaque assay report 3/28 5
transformation report 4/2 15
unknowns report 4/23 20
nose and throat culture report 4/23 10
(possible notebook review at random 0-10)