The course has the first objective of providing students with a general knowledge of parasitology from a medical point of view, but also from an ecological and evolutionary point of view. The purpose of the course is then to impart in-depth knowledge of the most important parasitic diseases and diagnostic methods in parasitology.
The course will mainly take place through frontal lectures, with laboratories to allow students to carry out basic diagnostic practices under the microscope, such as the recognition of the different species of malarial parasites.
Assessment Methods
The exam is oral, with open questions aimed primarily at evaluating the knowledge on the basic concepts covered in the course, such as parasite cycles, diagnostic, ecological and epidemiological aspects of parasitology. The student's ability to establish links between concepts and to elaborate them in reasoning questions will be also assessed.
Texts
De Carneri. Parassitologia generale e umana. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana
Contents
The aim of the parasitology course is provide students with the theoretical and diagnostic knowledge on the main human parasites. Therefore, the course will deal with the main parasitic protozoa, in particular Toxoplasma and malarial parasites. Subsequently endo- and ecto-parasitic metazoa will be presented: platyhelminthes, nematodes, and arthropods. Morphological, serological, and molecular biology diagnostic methods for the main parasites will be explained.
