Based on the understanding of the general principles of medical bacteriology and the physiological or pathophysiological understanding of the immune system of the human organism and the major causative agents of infectious diseases and their interactions with the human / animal host and based on doctor´s orders, students are able to independently carry out the biomedical analysis process (consisting of the preanalytical, analytical and post-analytical phase) in infection diagnostics (focus on bacteriology) as part of the overall medical process they i.e.:

• Are aware of the diagnosis, prevention and epidemiology of the most common pathogens of infectious diseases in the field of human and veterinary medicine, the basic reaction modes and components of the immune system, the immune and infection defense and the regulation / modulation of the immune reaction
• Know the basics of antibiotic therapy and the problems of resistance development as well as resistance mechanisms and resistance patterns of selected bacteria
• Are able to safely apply specific hygiene and safety measures
• Know the preanalytical influencing and method-dependent disturbance variables and their effects on the respective analyses
• Can understand and critically reflect the individual steps of the microbiological analysis process from sampling to findings
• Are aware of the importance of different methods of investigation in bacteriological infection diagnostics and are able to select and critically assess them according to the diagnostic question / indication
• Can oppose conventional culture methods to modern molecular biological or biochemical methods
• Master the general bacteriological working methods (bacterial count, resistance tests, microscopy of selected gram stained specimens, staining methods, identification procedures) including quality control, validation of results, documentation and reporting
• Are able to assess the importance of clinical diagnostics, to associate the various bacteriological test results patient-related, to check their plausibility and to integrate them into an overall picture
• On the basis of the available laboratory results, they are able to logically select and justify possible further laboratory analyses
• They can independently carry out and assess the subject-specific quality assurance measures

Modules of the 1st semester

• General infection diagnostics: diagnosis, prevention, epidemiology and taxonomy of bacterial infectious agents present in human medical routine and essential bacterial species in veterinary medicine
• Diagnostics (in conjunction with laboratory-specific findings) and resistance behavior of infectious agents (especially bacteria) in human and veterinary medicine
• Antibacterial chemotherapy, spectrum of action and mechanisms, pharmacokinetics / dynamics of antibiotics and problems of resistance development, and case studies
• Subject-specific hygiene and laboratory-specific safety measures in the microbiological laboratory incl. handling of biological agents according to the safety levels
• Microbiological assays: extraction, pre-analysis in bacteriology, transport and disposal of biomaterials
• Microbiological staining methods with a focus on Gram staining, Ziehl-Neelsen staining, implementation and evaluation of selected specimens (in particular bacterial pathogens)
• Manual and automated procedures in bacteriology specifically of common bacterial species or common materials: cultural diagnostics (media, culture media, growth typology of selected bacterial cultures), germ count, identification (various identification systems and identification patterns including molecular biological or innovative biochemical methods - advantages and disadvantages, comparison, approach and assessment)
• Antimicrobial susceptibility testing: definitions, method comparison, various systems - advantages and disadvantages, approach and assessment,resistance patterns
• Measures of quality assurance in the microbiological laboratory
• Bacteriological findings, transmission of findings, reporting practices according to legal regulations
• Practical laboratory exercises on selected bacteriological analysis methods, including documentation, validation and interpretation of results (including workstation preparation and follow-up)

Madigen M. T. et al. (2013), Brock Mikrobiologie,Pearson Education Limited;
Neumeister B. et al. (2009), Mikrobiologische Diagnostik, Thieme;
Suerbaum S. et al (2016), Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Infektiologie, Springer;
Selbitz H. J. et al. (2015), Tiermedizinische Mikrobiologie, Infektions- und Seuchenlehre, Thieme;
Kayser F. H. et al. (2014), Taschenlehrbuch Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Thieme;
Holtmann H. (2014), Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Virologie und Hygiene - Basics, Elsevier;
Books, journals and websites according to the current state of knowledge in the respective fields.

Lectures, laboratory exercises, demonstrations, discussions

Module examination