LEARNING OUTCOMES
Objectives and expected learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course students will be able to know and understand:
- The abundance, distribution and biodiversity of microorganisms and their interactions with the environment.
- The early detection, diagnosis and treatment of food- and waterborne diseases and their association with nosocomial infections.
- The Microbial communities and their applications in waste treatment systems, in the food and water industry.
- The laws governing food and waterborne infections and the European and National bodies that monitor them.
- The classical and modern molecular techniques that find application in environmental microbiology.
- How to use reference books, papers from the literature and a range of other resources to further develop knowledge through continuous independent learning.
- The way of developing a research work either individually or in groups (searching the relevant literature, evaluating the data and writing).
SYLLABUS
1. Introduction to waterborne infections: Aquatic ecosystem microorganisms. Routes of transmission, survival and multiplication of pathogens in the aquatic environment, development through biofilm formation in the water systems, sanitary importance ofphysical, chemical and microbiological parameters, drinking water legislation.
2. Introduction to foodborne infections: Microorganisms in food. Routes of transmission, survival and multiplication of pathogens in food, health importance of physical, chemical and microbiological parameters of food, food management in mass catering kitchens (HACCP).
3. Pathogens of waterborne and foodborne infections: Anthropogenic pathogens. Pathogens that are naturally found in the flora of water and food, production of toxins by bacteria and fungi. Water and Food viruses and parasites.
4. Microbiology in the food industry: Application of microbiology and the role of microorganisms in the food industry, and the development of analysis protocols for the various microorganisms found in these environments. Legislation concerning various categories of industrially produced food (canning, dairy products, meat production units, bread industry). The quality of water used in the food industry.
5. Aquatic and foodborne infections as part of nosocomial infections: HACCP in hospital kitchen. Artificial kidney units, ICUs, Dental clinics. Legionnaires’ disease, a major nosocomial infection. Reporting, treatment and surveillance of water- and foodborne infections (Risk Assessment).
6. Occupational hygiene and water quality in hospitals and other workplaces: Transmission of waterborne infections. Asthma, the disease of legionnaires, the sick building syndrome and the effects on employees.
7. Bottled water and inpatients: Categories of bottled water / pathogenic microorganisms in bottling units. Special characteristics and hazard depending on the water category. Bottled water as a type of water used widely in the hospital. The special case of pseudomonas.
8. Methods of analysis of water samples: Multi-tube method, integration method, filtration method, coating method, molecular isolation techniques, identification and epidemiological correlation.
9. Food sample analysis methods: Physical / physicochemical methods. Spectrophotometric and Chromatographic methods. Methods for detection of microbiological parameters in food in accordance with International Standards (ISO). Phenotypic and Molecular typing techniques / Correlation of the cause with the infection.
10. Food and waterborne infections in residential and catering areas of vulnerable groups: Specific quality specifications and legislation for the management of water and food in residential and catering areas of vulnerable groups of the population (nursing homes, kindergartens, rehabilitation and recovery units, camps, military installations).
11. Water quality of hydrotherapy tanks and thermal baths: Legislative regulations of hydrotherapy baths and hydrotherapy tanks. Special requirements for spa water tanks. The importance of early detection and analysis of microbiological parameters in the specific environments.
12. Sewage microbiology: Sewage as the main source of pathogenic microorganisms. Legislation for urban wastewater. Specifications for wastewater disposal in water and soil. Sewage Treatment Plants.
13. Environmental legislation, management and disposal of hospital wastewater:
Legislative regulations for hospital wastewater. The presence of bacteria resistant to widely used antibiotics in the effluent. Detection of resistance genes (phenotypic / molecular methods) as a tool for monitoring multi-drug resistance in the wastewater habitat.