A pathogen is an organism or substance capable of producing disease. This course discusses the characteristics of common pathogenic microorganisms with emphasis placed on bacteria. Pathogenic parasites and fungal elements will be introduced. Methods of isolation from clinical specimens, recognition of pathogens, microscopic morphology, anti-microbial susceptibility testing, and standard reporting practices in a clinical laboratory will be presented. Laboratory sessions will support lecture materials as they focus on safety measures in the microbiology laboratory and the importance of high quality technical skills.
