MSCI 680 Pathogens and Human Diseases

A comprehensive study of microorganisms that cause human disease and the basic principles of pathogenesis, including the molecular basis of infectious disease, how microorganisms establish infections, gain nutrients, cause damage to the host and disease, evade host defense mechanisms.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Course Guide

View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*

*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.


This course builds upon the framework established by introductory microbiology classes, focusing on those microorganisms responsible for important infections in humans. Diseases caused by the four main microbial communities are defined: viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. In addition to describing the microorganisms and diseases that they cause, the pathophysiology of these diseases and how body sites are altered in response to these infections are addressed.


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After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

The student will construct a short essay of at least 200 words using course materials in his/her own words (the student should not use quoted material) for the assigned prompt. This assignment is submitted to Turnitin for a plagiarism score check. High plagiarism scores may result in a zero for the assignment and referral for Academic Misconduct. References to external material are not required.

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the current assigned Module: Week. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes only (e.g., the student is not allowed to search the internet), comprised of 15 multiple-choice questions worth 4 points each, and the student will have a 40 minute time limit for each quiz.


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