Introduction to Practical Microbiology (FutureLearn)

Build a foundation in microbiology practices

This course teaches you about all the basic concepts of microbiology. Develop a solid foundation base for further study and practice in the field of microbiology by learning how to define microbes, antimicrobials, and antibiotics. Confidently navigate every basic topic, name, principle, and process of microbiology.

By the end of this course, you won’t just have a confident understanding of the classification, structure, and roles of microbes, but will also be familiar with their laboratory identification and the common sites of infection.

Discover the concepts of antimicrobial stewardship and antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

On this course you’ll learn how to define antimicrobial resistance, its mechanisms, drivers, and co-resistance. Learn how microbes and antimicrobials work, and how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens.

Discover the basic concepts of ‘superbugs’, and analyse the results of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST), including their different breaking points, cut-off settings, and their application in the clinical context.

Learn antimicrobial laboratory techniques

Decipher how to take samples and specimens to detect microbes, as well as methods to study antimicrobial susceptibility in the laboratory setting.

Learn to compare bactericidal and bacteriostatic substances, see how they move through the body by studying PK/PD models, and learn how to increase the efficacy of antimicrobials based on the results.

What topics will you cover?

- The basics of microbes, including classification, structure, their roles, and sites of infection.

- Antimicrobial classification and basic mechanisms, PK/PD, and how to increase efficacy of antimicrobials.

- Antimicrobial resistance – definitions, mechanisms, drivers, co-resistance, and how ‘superbugs’ occur. Antimicrobial agents and antimicrobial use principles.

- Antimicrobial susceptibility testing – laboratory techniques and how to use the information/data gained.

- Capacity and capability of resources – what can be done with both low resources and situations where resources are more available.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- Identify the common microbes, their classification and role, where they may colonise and where they may cause common infections

- Demonstrate understanding of the most important microbials and how they work, basic concepts of AMR, how bacteria before resistant and “super-bugs”

- Explain the different methods used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing and basic concepts about analysis and interpreting the results of AST

- Justify the importance of quality management and assurance of AST including use of guidelines

Who is the course for?

This course is for healthcare professionals, laboratory personnel, anti-infectives commercial staff, researchers, students or others in training.

The course is intended for those with some basic knowledge of microbiology, but this is not a prerequisite.