Microbiology

Course Description

MCB2010C – Microbiology is a 4-credit-hour combined lecture and laboratory course that provides a comprehensive introduction to the structure, function, classification, and significance of microorganisms — bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, protists, and helminths. The course emphasizes the relevance of microbiology to human health, including infectious disease, host-microbe interactions, immunology, and the major medically important pathogens organized by body system. Strong attention is given to the laboratory practice that supports microbiological investigation in clinical, public health, and applied settings.

The "C" lab indicator denotes integrated lecture and laboratory components. The laboratory portion develops practical microbiology skills: aseptic technique, microscopy, culturing, staining (Gram stain centrally), biochemical testing, sensitivity testing, and the interpretation of culture and identification results. The course is required for nursing, dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, radiologic technology, paramedic, and many other allied health programs in Florida; it is also widely taken by pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, and pre-veterinary students, and by biology and biotechnology majors.

MCB2010C is a Florida common course offered at approximately 34 Florida institutions and satisfies natural-science with-laboratory general-education requirements at most Florida public colleges and universities. It transfers as the equivalent course at all Florida public postsecondary institutions per SCNS articulation policy.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Apply foundational concepts of microbiology, including the history of microbiology (Pasteur, Koch, Lister, Fleming), the germ theory of disease, and the scientific method as applied to microbiology.
• Describe the three domains of life (Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya) and the placement of microorganisms within them; describe the structure and replication of viruses.
• Describe prokaryotic cell structure and function, including cell wall (Gram-positive vs. Gram-negative), capsule, flagella, pili, ribosomes, plasmids, and chromosomes.
• Describe microbial growth and metabolism, including nutritional requirements, oxygen requirements (aerobic, anaerobic, facultative, microaerophilic), pH and temperature requirements, growth curves, and basic microbial metabolism.
• Describe microbial genetics, including DNA replication in microbes, transcription and translation, mutation, gene transfer (transformation, transduction, conjugation), and the basis of antibiotic resistance.
• Apply principles of microbial control, including physical methods (heat, radiation, filtration), chemical methods (disinfectants, antiseptics), antibiotics and their mechanisms of action, and the development of antimicrobial resistance.
• Apply principles of host-microbe interactions, including the human microbiome, normal flora, opportunistic vs. true pathogens, virulence factors, and the steps of the infectious disease process.
• Apply principles of immunology at an introductory level, including innate immunity, adaptive immunity (humoral and cell-mediated), antibodies, vaccines, hypersensitivity reactions, and immunodeficiency.
• Identify and describe major bacterial pathogens by body system, including the agents causing pneumonia, tuberculosis, strep throat, foodborne illness, UTIs, sexually transmitted infections, meningitis, and others; understand transmission, pathogenesis, and treatment.
• Identify and describe major viral pathogens, including respiratory viruses (influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV), bloodborne viruses (HIV, HBV, HCV), enteric viruses (norovirus, rotavirus), and others.
• Identify and describe major fungal, protozoan, and helminthic pathogens at an introductory level.
• Demonstrate laboratory skills: aseptic technique; light microscopy and oil immersion; bacterial staining (simple stain, Gram stain centrally; acid-fast and endospore stains where included); culture techniques (streak plating, slant culturing, broth culturing); biochemical identification tests (catalase, oxidase, IMViC, etc.); antibiotic sensitivity testing (Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion).
• Apply principles of biosafety, including biosafety levels (BSL-1, BSL-2 for typical teaching labs); proper PPE; safe handling of microbial cultures; bloodborne pathogen safety; sharps safety; biological waste handling and autoclave operation.
• Apply principles of epidemiology at an introductory level, including incidence, prevalence, modes of transmission, reservoirs, and basic outbreak investigation.

Optional Outcomes

• Engage with contemporary infectious disease topics, including emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance, the COVID-19 pandemic and its lessons, and global infectious disease challenges.
• Engage with applied microbiology beyond medical contexts, including food microbiology, water and environmental microbiology, industrial microbiology, and microbial biotechnology.
• Apply molecular techniques at an introductory level, including PCR, gel electrophoresis, and molecular identification methods (where institutional resources allow).
• Engage with Florida-specific infectious disease topics, including vector-borne diseases (West Nile, Zika, dengue, Eastern Equine Encephalitis), Florida-specific water-borne disease concerns (Vibrio vulnificus), and tropical/subtropical disease ecology.
• Conduct an independent investigation or unknown identification project.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Foundations of Microbiology: History of microbiology; the germ theory of disease; Koch's postulates; the scientific method in microbiology; classification of microorganisms; the three domains of life; brief evolutionary history of microbial life.
• Microbial Cell Structure: Prokaryotic cells (bacteria and archaea — cell wall types, peptidoglycan, capsule, flagella, pili, fimbriae, plasmids, ribosomes, nucleoid); eukaryotic microbes (fungi, protists — cell organelles); viruses (capsid, envelope, nucleic acid; classification by structure and genome).
• Microbial Growth: Bacterial growth curve (lag, log, stationary, death phases); generation time; biofilm formation; nutritional requirements; oxygen requirements (obligate aerobe, facultative anaerobe, microaerophile, obligate anaerobe, aerotolerant anaerobe); pH and temperature requirements (psychrophile, mesophile, thermophile, hyperthermophile).
• Microbial Metabolism: Glycolysis; aerobic respiration; fermentation; anaerobic respiration; introduction to autotrophy and chemolithotrophy; use of metabolic differences in microbial identification.
• Microbial Genetics: DNA structure and replication in microbes; transcription and translation; the operon (lac and trp operons); mutation; gene transfer (transformation, transduction, conjugation); plasmids and antibiotic resistance; recombinant DNA at conceptual level; CRISPR (introductory).
• Microbial Control: Physical control (autoclaving, dry heat, pasteurization, filtration, radiation); chemical control (disinfectants — phenolics, halogens, alcohols, oxidizing agents; antiseptics; the difference between antiseptic, disinfectant, and sterilant); antibiotics (mechanisms of action — cell wall inhibitors, protein synthesis inhibitors, nucleic acid inhibitors, metabolic inhibitors); the development of antimicrobial resistance.
• Host-Microbe Interactions: The human microbiome; normal flora across body sites; commensal vs. pathogenic relationships; opportunistic pathogens; the steps of infection (entry, attachment, invasion, multiplication, damage); virulence factors (capsules, toxins — endotoxin and exotoxin, enzymes, evasion mechanisms); the disease process (incubation, prodromal, illness, decline, convalescence).
• Innate Immunity: Physical barriers (skin, mucous membranes); chemical barriers (lysozyme, gastric acid); cellular components (neutrophils, macrophages, NK cells, dendritic cells, mast cells); inflammation; fever; the complement system.
• Adaptive Immunity: Humoral immunity (B cells, antibodies — IgM, IgG, IgA, IgE, IgD); cell-mediated immunity (T cells — helper, cytotoxic, regulatory); antigen presentation (MHC); active vs. passive immunity; vaccines (types, mechanisms, schedules); immunological memory.
• Disorders of Immunity: Hypersensitivity reactions (Type I — allergy/anaphylaxis, Type II, Type III, Type IV); autoimmune diseases at conceptual level; immunodeficiency (primary, secondary including HIV/AIDS).
• Bacterial Diseases — Skin and Wound: Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA); Streptococcus pyogenes; necrotizing fasciitis; Pseudomonas aeruginosa wound infections; Clostridium tetani.
• Bacterial Diseases — Respiratory: Streptococcus pneumoniae; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Bordetella pertussis; Haemophilus influenzae; Streptococcus pyogenes (strep throat); Legionella pneumophila.
• Bacterial Diseases — GI: E. coli (including pathogenic strains O157:H7, ETEC, EPEC); Salmonella; Shigella; Campylobacter; Helicobacter pylori; Clostridioides difficile; Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio vulnificus (Florida-specific concern); Listeria monocytogenes.
• Bacterial Diseases — Urinary and Reproductive: E. coli UTIs; Neisseria gonorrhoeae; Chlamydia trachomatis; Treponema pallidum (syphilis); Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Strep).
• Bacterial Diseases — Cardiovascular and Systemic: Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease); Rickettsia rickettsii (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever); endocarditis pathogens.
• Bacterial Diseases — Nervous System: Neisseria meningitidis; Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis; Listeria meningitis; Clostridium tetani; Clostridium botulinum.
• Viral Diseases — Respiratory: Influenza viruses; SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses; respiratory syncytial virus (RSV); rhinoviruses; adenoviruses.
• Viral Diseases — Bloodborne and STIs: HIV; HBV; HCV; HSV; HPV; CMV; EBV.
• Viral Diseases — Other: Enteric viruses (norovirus, rotavirus); childhood viral diseases (measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox); Florida-relevant arboviruses (West Nile, Zika, dengue, Eastern Equine Encephalitis).
• Fungal, Protozoan, and Helminthic Diseases: Candidiasis; aspergillosis; cryptococcosis; histoplasmosis; malaria; toxoplasmosis; giardiasis; cryptosporidiosis; common helminths.
• Laboratory Techniques (Lab Component): Aseptic technique; light microscopy and oil immersion; bacterial staining (simple, Gram, acid-fast, endospore); culture (streak plating, slant culturing, broth, selective and differential media); colony morphology; biochemical identification tests; antibiotic sensitivity testing (Kirby-Bauer); identification of unknowns (where included).
• Biosafety: Biosafety levels (BSL-1 for non-pathogenic teaching strains; BSL-2 for pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli pathogenic strains); PPE; sharps; bloodborne pathogen exposure response; biological waste; autoclave use; OSHA bloodborne pathogen standard.
• Epidemiology: Reservoirs; modes of transmission (contact, droplet, airborne, vector, vehicle); incidence and prevalence; outbreak investigation; CDC and state public health roles; healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and infection control.

Optional Topics

• Contemporary Topics: Antimicrobial resistance crisis; emerging infectious diseases; the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons learned; global infectious disease equity.
• Applied Microbiology: Food microbiology; water microbiology; industrial microbiology; microbial biotechnology; bioremediation.
• Molecular Techniques: PCR; gel electrophoresis; molecular pathogen identification (introductory); next-generation sequencing at conceptual level.
• Florida-Specific Topics: Vector-borne diseases of Florida; Vibrio vulnificus and warm coastal waters; tropical and subtropical disease ecology.
• Independent Project: Unknown bacterium identification; literature investigation; community-based microbiology project.

Resources & Tools

• Common Textbooks: Microbiology: An Introduction (Tortora/Funke/Case), Foundations in Microbiology (Talaro/Chess), Microbiology: Principles and Explorations (Black/Black), Microbiology: A Human Perspective (Nester/Anderson/Roberts), Microbiology with Diseases by Body System (Bauman)
• Open Educational Resources: Microbiology by OpenStax (free, widely adopted in Florida); Microbiology by Lumen Learning
• Online Platforms: Mastering Microbiology (Pearson), Connect Microbiology (McGraw-Hill), MindTap (Cengage)
• Common Lab Manuals: Microbiology: A Laboratory Manual (Cappuccino/Welsh), Laboratory Experiences in Microbiology (Johnson/Case), Microbiology Lab Theory and Application (Leboffe/Pierce)
• Lab Equipment: Light microscopes with oil immersion; incubators; autoclaves; biosafety cabinets (for BSL-2 work); spectrophotometers; pH meters; aseptic transfer equipment; staining setups; selective and differential media (mannitol salt agar, MacConkey, EMB, blood agar)
• Reference Resources: CDC website (cdc.gov); WHO website (who.int); Florida Department of Health (floridahealth.gov); American Society for Microbiology (asm.org); Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology

Career Pathways

MCB2010C is a foundational course for healthcare and life-science careers. Specific pathways supported include:

• Nursing — Required prerequisite for nearly all Florida nursing programs (RN A.S./B.S.N. and accelerated B.S.N.).
• Allied Health — Required for dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, radiologic technology, paramedic, sonography, surgical technology, and many other allied health programs.
• Pre-Medicine, Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Veterinary, Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-PA — Required or strongly recommended for these professional school applications.
• Public Health — Foundation for B.S./M.P.H. pathways and public health careers.
• Biotechnology — Foundation for biotech careers in pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, food, and environmental applications.
• Medical Laboratory Science — Foundation for clinical laboratory technician and medical laboratory scientist (MLS) careers.
• Forensic Science — Foundational for forensic biology and forensic microbiology.
• Environmental Science — Foundational for water quality, environmental health, and bioremediation careers.
• Education — Foundation for high school biology teaching.

Florida's substantial healthcare, biotechnology, public health, and life-science sectors sustain strong demand for graduates with rigorous microbiology preparation.

Special Information

General Education and Transfer

MCB2010C is a Florida common course number that satisfies general-education natural-science (with laboratory) requirements at most Florida public colleges and universities. It transfers as the equivalent course at all Florida public postsecondary institutions per SCNS articulation policy.

Course Sequence and Prerequisites

Most Florida institutions require:

• BSC1010C (Principles of Biology I) with grade of C or better, or
• BSC2085C (Anatomy and Physiology I) with grade of C or better

Some institutions also require or recommend introductory chemistry (CHM1020C, CHM1025C, or CHM1045C). Specific prerequisites vary; students should consult their institution's catalog.

Course Format

MCB2010C is offered primarily in face-to-face format due to the hands-on lab component. Hybrid versions (online lecture + on-campus lab) are common; fully online versions with virtual labs are increasingly available. Health-professional programs vary substantially in their acceptance of fully online lab science courses; students intending these pathways should consult target programs.

Health-Program Considerations

Most Florida nursing and allied health programs require MCB2010C with a minimum grade (typically C or B) and may have a recency requirement (the course must be completed within the past 5-7 years). Students with older microbiology coursework may need to retake the course. Students should consult their target health-program for specific requirements.