Microbiology Weekly Review

Kingdom Protista — Protozoa and Algae

• Know the characteristics that apply to all members of this kingdom.

Protozoa:

• Be sure to review the basics of Parasitology and its associated terms.
• Know the characteristics of the Protozoa.
  • In general be able to describe how protozoans cause disease.  Be able to give specific examples.
  • Know the life cycle of the malaria parasite.  Be able to show knowledge about the importance of malaria, how it causes the symptoms that it does, factors that have led to a failure to control the spread of the disease.
• Know the characteristics of the Phyla of Protozoa and how they are distinguished from one another.
• Know examples of those that cause disease.

Algae:

• Show an understanding of algal structure and function.
  • Be able to show how algae are important to humans.
  • Know about PSP and Ciguatera

  Know how algae are important.

• Be able to compare and contrast Protozoa and Algae
• Know why Cyanobacteria are bacteria and not algae.

Week 3:  I’ll get to the Importance of Disease!  (Really) And I’ll start and probably finish the Fungi. I hope to start the History lecture as well.

Course Basics

• You should be aware of how to negotiate the Vancko Web portions of Lecture and Lab.  This includes such things as
  • Sending and receiving messages within Vancko Hall
  • How to take and submit a quiz online
  • Where the lecture outlines and practice quizzes are located.
  • How to see your grades and Vancko Hall.
• You should have reviewed the course and lab information sheets and know what the expectations are for you in the lecture and lab.
• Be sure that you have read and understand the Laboratory Safety rules and regulations.

The Kingdoms:

Be able to distinguish among the 5 kingdoms of living organisms and the viruses and prions.

• Know the basic characteristics of each of these 7 groups and the kinds of organisms or entities that are included in each.
• Be able to explain the Five Kingdom System of classification and how it is depicted.

This Coming Week (Week 2) I’ll be covering the following

• The Protista — characteristics of the kingdom as well as the subgroups (subkingdoms) Protozoa and Algae.
• Cyanobacteria — although they are not members of the Kingdom Protista they are very similar to members of the Algae.
• The Importance of Infectious Diseases
• Some Essential Chemistry
• A preview of next week’s lab (The Fungi)

to General Microbiology for Spring 2010

What is this?

• Well this is a blog to help you in the course.  I will post weekly to this blog with review material.
• Each weekend I update the blog by reviewing the material that we’ve covered during the week in lecture.
  • I have another blog that is a preview or briefing for each week’s lab.
  • The lab briefing blog is posted by the end of one week and gives you a preview of the next week’s lab.
  • I expect that you will print out that briefing and bring it to lab with you.
• This is a review blog.  It will contain such things as
  • an outline or review sheet of important things we’ve gone over.
  • sample multiple choice and matching questions (some of these will be in Vancko Hall as “Hot Potatoes Quizzes” which are just practice quizzes.
  • sample essay questions for exams.

Why a blog?  Why not just post a review in Vancko Hall?

• Primarily because I can (and have) add a RSS feed for you.
  • What does that mean?  Well it means that you can subscribe to this blog.  So that every time I update it or make a new posting, you get a message that tells you that I’ve updated it.  You can also add the RSS feed to your feed burner if you want.  [A feed burner is a program that holds your subscriptions.  Google Reader, for example, is a feed burner.]
• Also you can send it comments or questions easily.
• AND it puts all of the review material in one readily accessible place.
• I suggest that you bookmark the blog.  That way if the Delhi system goes down you can get to the blog at least!

The course is up and ready for you in Vancko Hall.

• Go in and look around both the Vancko Hall Lecture Course and the Vancko Hall Lab Course.

So… Welcome!  Use the blog and the other resources I provide for you and you’ll do fine in the course!

Here’s the link to the Course Information Sheet.