Course Discipline
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Course Description
This upper level undergraduate course will cover the biology of eukaryotic microbes and the environments in which they live. Eukaryotic microbes include single-celled protozoa, multi-cellular helminths (worms), and fungi.
This course will cover the complex life cycles (intermediate hosts, insect vectors) required for survival of many protozoa and helminths. Eukaryotic microbes are also a significant cause of human disease throughout the world (e.g., Malaria, Leishmaniasis, Trypanosomiasis, Giardiasis, Histoplasmosis, Blastomycosis).
We will examine the evolutionary relationship between eukaryotic pathogens and their mammalian hosts, including the complex relationship between host immunity and pathogen immunoevasion. We will also discuss the renewed interest in Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). NTDs are a group of diseases causing substantial illness in more than 1 billion people globally. The most common NTDs include Lymphatic Filariasis (Elephantiasis), Onchocerciasis (River Blindness), Schistosomiasis, Soil-Transmitted Helminths, and Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease).