CODE | LAS2070 | ||||||||
TITLE | Antibiotics – Poisons or Life Savers? | ||||||||
UM LEVEL | H - Higher Level | ||||||||
MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
DEPARTMENT | Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences | ||||||||
DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will be set up to instill awareness amongst the general public on the use and misuse of antibiotics beyond their use in humans. The sue of antibiotics in crops and animals move along the food chain hence reaching humans via food stuffs. The World Health Organisation recognizes this threat and recently there was the setting up of a worldwide working group within the Codex Alimentarius to tackle this problem. In spite of this, the use of antibiotics is inevitable, however rational use should be practiced in order to reduce the risk to humans. This study-unit aims at helping students develop essential skills to understand and identify essential links between the different pathogens for a better quality of life. This not simply an appreciation Unit but a unit that offers practical applications to the theoretical background. This Unit gives an insight of bacteria around us and how these enter food chains. A basin understanding of microorganisms will be provided, including basic information, the difference between beneficial, commensal and pathogenic. The following is list of topics for discussion: - Antimicrobials and resistant microorganisms in the environment; - Antimicrobials and resistant microorganisms in food stuff; - The One Health Principle and how it us affected through world travel; - Antimicrobial resistance development and transmission in the things we do; - Human Health and Animal Health – How they are linked (the food we consume and the hospitals). Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Distinguish between different microorganisms; - Recognise the various habitants and conditions in which microorganisms can thrive; - Recognise how microorganisms can adapt themselves into various biological systems: - Recognise how microorganisms can be transferred within a food chain - Follow the path of microorganisms within the human body; - Determine the severity of illnesses caused by microorganisms; - Recognise how such consequences could be mitigated. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Classify micro-organisms into three major categories: beneficial, commensal and pathogenic; - Apply the principle of One Health; - Identify critical control points along the whole food chain; - Plan and organize hygienic practices to minimize the transfer of micro-organisms from one level to another within the food chain; - Provide a reasonable explanation of limitations within such food chains within industry, hospitals and the community. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Guardabassi, L., Jensen, L. B., & Kruse, H. (Eds.). (2008). Guide to antimicrobial use in animals (pp. 183-206). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Pub.. - OIE. (2015). OIE Standards, Guidelines and Resolution on Antimicrobial Resistance and the Use of Antimicrobial Agents. - Giguère, S., Prescott, J. F., & Dowling, P. M. (Eds.). (2013). Antimicrobial therapy in veterinary medicine. John Wiley & Sons. |
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STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Laboratory Session | ||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |