Basics of Infectious Diseases

Emerging infectious diseases of humans and animals make it into the headlines of the news on a daily basis (e.g. malaria, TBC, norovirus). This multidisciplinary course approaches these infectious diseases from several perspectives, including the underlying biology, ecology, epidemiology, and socio-economics. Information will be provided on new insights on the causative agents of several infectious diseases (e.g. viral, prion, bacterial, fungal, protozoan, and parasitic diseases) as well as arthropod vector biology and vector-borne diseases. Mathematical modelling has strongly influenced policy-making in relation to the epidemiology and control of infectious diseases. In this course we will focus on the key principles of epidemiological models of infectious diseases to understand how they are used in the health economy.

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:

• Explain fundamental concepts of infectious diseases and their causative agents
• Explain social, economic, political and biological factors that influence the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases
• Formulate a research question based on literature review and design an experimental approach to answer this question
• Apply appropriate research methods to answer the research question (under supervision)
• Document, analyse and evaluate obtained research data
• Report on the research project (including research question, methodology, results and conclusions) by means of a scientific report and an oral presentation

Mandatory Knowledge:
ZSS06100 Laboratory Safety
Assumed Knowledge:
2nd year BSc curricula Biology, Animal Sciences and Plant Sciences prepares for this course.