The course has the first objective of providing students with a general knowledge of biological interactions, declining them from different points of view: ecological, evolutionary, medical. The second main purpose of the course is to impart in-depth knowledge of the most important parasitic diseases, using them as a model through which to outline a general framework of the discipline and as examples to focus on topics of interest (epidemiology, evolution, diagnostics…). Finally, the course aims, through a series of practical workshops, to show to the students the use of the main analytical methods used in parasitology.
Course Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of zoology, immunology, ecology, evolution
Teaching Methods
The course will be divided into two parts. The first is structured in lectures, the second by laboratories in which students will be able to come into contact with specific aspects of parasitological diagnostics and research, such as microscopic diagnosis, classification through dichotomous keys, molecular biology approaches.
Assessment Methods
The exam is oral. It will start with a presentation by the student of a scientific article, previously approved by the teacher. The exam will continue with open questions to evaluate the knowledge on the basic topics covered during the course. The capacity of the student to reason and connect topics will be evaluated.
Texts
Ivo de Carneri - Parassitologia Generale e Umana - Casa Editrice Ambrosiana
Massimo Scaglia, Simonetta Gatti, Elio G. Rondanelli - Parassiti e parassitosi umane. Dalla clinica al laboratorio - Selecta Medica
Contents
The first part of the course will consist of an introduction to the basic concepts of parasitology and symbiosis. The course will proceed with lectures on the main parasites, through the description of the biological cycle, of the pathological, evolutionary, epidemiological and diagnostic aspects. Each parasite/symbiont will be treated as a starting point for in-depth study of one or more concepts and / or topics of interest for which it can serve as a model. We will then cover the endosymbiotic theory as a starting point for understanding the evolution of symbiosis, also from a genomic point of view. List of lessons: Introduction to parasitology Trypanosoma, with examples of paratransgenesis Leishmania, flexibility of the concept of species Toxoplasma, diagnostic approaches Plasmodium, agent of malaria Research on Malaria, from the past to the future The endosymbiotic theory, a fundamental step in evolution (2 lessons) Evolution and genomics of endosymbionts Trematodes & Cestodes (2 lessons) Anisakis, Trichinella and the importance of food parasites Filarial worms and Wolbachia, symbiosis as a form of parasite therapy (2 lessons) Arthropods, the most important disease vectors (2 lessons) The course will be complemented by six practical laboratories that will allow students to learn the basic aspects of research in parasitology. Morphological keys diagnosis in microscopy DNA extraction (also from mosquito samples brought by students) PCR electrophoresis sequence analysis
