GATE Section-XL-S Microbiology Syllabus

Course Syllabus

Unit 1: Historical Perspective

Discovery of microbial world

Landmark discoveries relevant to the field of microbiology

Controversy over spontaneous generation

Role of microorganisms in transformation of organic matter and in the causation of diseases

Unit 2: Methods in Microbiology

Pure culture techniques

Theory and practice of steripzation

Principles of microbial nutrition

Enrichment culture techniques for isolation of microorganisms

Light-, phase contrast- and electron-microscopy

Unit 3: Microbial Taxonomy and Diversity

Bacteria, Archaea and their broad classification

Eukaryotic microbes: Yeasts, molds and protozoa

Viruses and their classification

Molecular approaches to microbial taxonomy

Unit 4: Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells: structure and Function

Prokaryotic Cells −

Cell walls

cell membranes

mechanisms of solute transport across membranes

Flagella and Pip

Capsules

Cell inclusions pke endospores and gas vesicles

Eukaryotic cell organelles −

Endoplasmic reticulum

Golgi apparatus

Mitochondria

Chloroplasts

Unit 5: Microbial Growth

Definition of growth

Growth curve

Mathematical expression of exponential growth phase

Measurement of growth and growth yields

Synchronous growth

Continuous culture

Effect of environmental factors on growth

Unit 6: Control of Micro-Organisms

Effect of physical and chemical agents

Evaluation of effectiveness of antimicrobial agents

Unit 7: Microbial Metabopsm

Energetics: redox reactions and electron carriers

An overview of metabopsm

Glycolysis

Pentose-phosphate pathway

Entner-Doudoroff pathway

Glyoxalate

Pathway

The citric acid cycle

Fermentation

Aerobic and anaerobic respiration

Chemopthotrophy

Photosynthesis

Calvin cycle

Biosynthetic pathway for fatty acids synthesis

Common regulatory mechanisms in synthesis of amino acids

Regulation of major metabopc pathways

Unit 8: Microbial Diseases and Host Pathogen Interaction

Normal microbiota

Classification of infectious diseases

Reservoirs of infection

Nosocomial infection

Emerging infectious diseases

Mechanism of microbial pathogenicity

Nonspecific defense of host

Antigens and antibodies

Humoral and cell mediated immunity

Vaccines

Immune deficiency

Human diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, and pathogenic fungi

Unit 9: Chemotherapy/Antibiotics

General characteristics of antimicrobial drugs

Antibiotics: Classification, mode of action and resistance

Antifungal and antiviral drugs

Unit 10: Microbial Genetics

Types of mutation

UV and chemical mutagens

Selection of mutants

Ames test for mutagenesis

Bacterial genetic system: transformation, conjugation, transduction, recombination, plasmids, transposons

DNA repair

Regulation of gene expression: repression and induction

Operon model

Bacterial genome with special reference to E. Cop Phage λ and its pfe cycle

RNA phages; RNA viruses; Retroviruses

Basic concept of microbial genomics

Unit 11: Microbial Ecology

Microbial interactions

Carbon, Sulphur and Nitrogen Cycles

Soil microorganisms associated with vascular plants

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