Department of Microbiology

CURRICULUM FOR MICROBIOLOGY, B. Sc (Hons.)

COURSE CONTENTS AND DESCRIPTIONS

100 LEVEL

FIRST SEMESTER

COURSE CODE

COURSE TITLE

UNITS

*STATUS

MCB 111

Introduction To Microbiology

3

C

CHM 111

Introductory Chemistry 1

3

C

CHM 112

Introductory Chemistry Practical 1

1

C

AEB 111

Introduction to Animal and Environmental Biology

3

C

PHY 111

General Physics I (Mechanics, Thermal Physics and Properties of matter)

3

C

CMP 111

Introduction To Computer System

2

C

MTH 111

Algebra and Trigonometry

3

C

GES 111

Communication In English 1

2

C

GES 112

Logic, Philosophy And Human Existence

2

C

GES 113

Nigerian Peoples And Culture

2

C

TOTAL

 

24

 

 

SECOND SEMESTER

COURSE CODE

COURSE TITLE

UNITS

*STATUS

PBB 122

Flowering Plants: Plant forms and Function

3

C

AEB 122

Vertebrate Zoology

3

C

CHM 123

Introductory Chemistry 11

3

C

MTH 123

Calculus

3

C

PHY 119

Experimental Physics

1

C

GES 121

Use of Library, Study Skills And ICT

2

C

GES 122

Communication In English 11

2

C

GES 123

History & Philosophy of Science

2

C

TOTAL

 

19

 

 

200 LEVEL COURSES

CORE

FIRST SEMESTER

COURSE CODE

COURSE TITLE

UNITS

*STATUS

MCB 211

General Microbiology

3

C

MCB 212

Basic Techniques In Microbiology

2

C

AEB 211

Introductory Genetics And Cell Physiology

3

C

PBB 213

Biological Techniques

2

C

GES 211

Communication Skills

2

C

MCB 211

Introduction To Food Science

3

C

MTH 215

Statistics

3

C

TOTAL

 

18

 

 

SECOND SEMESTER

COURSE CODE

COURSE TITLE

UNITS

*STATUS

MCB 221

Introduction To Microbial Genetics

3

C

CHM 221

Introductory Analytical Chemistry

3

C

CHM 222

Basic Organic Chemistry

4

C

AEB 221

Introductory Ecology

3

C

GES 221

Peace, Studies And Conflict Resolution

2

C

TOTAL

 

15

 

 

 

ELECTIVE(S):

COURSE CODE

COURSE TITLE

UNITS

*STATUS

AEB 214

Invertebrate Zoology

3

E

CHM 211

Basic Physical Chemistry

3

E

PBB 226

Introduction To Ethno botany

3

E

CMP 222

Database Design and Management

3

E

TOTAL

 

12

 

 

300 LEVEL COURSES

CORE:

FIRST SEMESTER 

COURSE CODE

COURSE TITLE

UNITS

*STATUS

MCB 317

Immunology

3

C

MCB 311

Mycology

3

C

MCB 312

Bacterial Diversity

3

C

MCB 314

Microbial Ecology

3

C

MCB 315

Soil Microbiology

3

C

MCB 318

Bio deterioration

3

C

MCB 316

Introductory Virology

3

C

MCB 319

Food Microbiology

3

C

TOTAL

 

24

 

 

SECOND SEMESTER

COURSE CODE

COURSE TITLE

UNITS

*STATUS

*MCB 321

Industrial Training

6

C

TOTAL

 

6

 

 

*All 300 Level students are expected to go on mandatory six months Industrial Training Scheme in the second semester in any established industry/ firm where they would gain more laboratory experience in Microbiology.

 

 

ELECTIVE(S):

COURSE CODE

COURSE TITLE

UNITS

*STATUS

PBB 315

Introduction To Plant Diseases

3

E

AEB 319

Biology Of Tropical Parasites

3

E

CMP 311

Elementary Data Processing

3

E

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

 

9

 

 

400 LEVEL COURSES

CORE:

FIRST SEMESTER

COURSE CODE

COURSE TITLE

UNITS

*STATUS

MCB 414

Advanced Food Microbiology

3

C

MCB 415

Environmental Microbiology

3

C

MCB 412

Virology & Tissue Culture

3

C

MCB 416

Seminar in Microbiology

2

C

MCB 417

Principles of Epidemiology and Public Health Microbiology

3

C

MCB 418

Pathogenic Microbiology

3

C

MCB 419

Microbiological Quality Assurance

2

C

MCB 410

Research Project

4

C

TOTAL

 

23

 

 

SECOND SEMESTER

COURSE CODE

COURSE TITLE

UNITS

*STATUS

MCB 424

Microbial Physiology And Metabolism

3

C

MCB 423

Industrial  Microbiology

3

C

MCB 421

Microbial Biotechnology

3

C

MCB 422

Petroleum Microbiology

3

C

TOTAL

 

12

 


ELECTIVES:

MCB 413

Pharmaceutical Microbiology

3

E

PBB 423

Introduction to Mushroom Growing Technology

3

E

PBB 427

Plant and Environmental Pollution Monitoring

3

E

PBB 421

Host Pathogen Relations and Plant Disease Management

3

E

AEB 423

Principles of Parasitology

4

E

TOTAL

 

16

 

DESCRIPTION OF COURSES

MCB 121  INTRODUCTORY MICROBIOLOGY (3 Units)  (L 30: P 45)

History of the Science of Microbiology, Sterilization and disinfection; Structure, ecology and reproduction of representative microbial genera. Cultivation of microorganisms. Isolation of microorganisms (isolation of bacteria, viruses).

 

Cell structure and organization, functions of cellular organelles, diversity, characteristics and classification of living things, general reproduction, interrelationship of organisms, heredity and evolution, elements of ecology and types of habitats.

MCB 211  GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY (3 Units)  (L 30: P 45)

Nutrition and biochemical activities of microorganisms. Identification and economic importance of selected microbial groups. Antigens and antibodies. Microbial variation and heredity. Principles of sterilization and disinfection. Problems of infectivity. Antimicrobial agents and sensitivity tests.

MCB 212 BASIC TECHNIQUES IN MICROBIOLOGY (2 Units)  (P 45)

Culturing of microorganisms; preparation of media for microbial growth.  Isolation of pure culture, sub-culturing procedures (streaking, pour plate etc.). Staining techniques for differentiation of microorganisms. Techniques for enumeration of microorganisms (direct and indirect procedures). Identification of microorganisms to include colonial and cellular morphology and biochemical procedures.

MCB 221 INTRODUCTION TO MICROBIAL GENETICS (3 Units) (L 30: P 45)

Introduction, heritable and non-heritable characteristics. Characteristics and functions of DNA and RRNA in the cell. Structure of the chromosome. Recombination. Mutation. Brief review: replication, transduction, transcription and translation.

MCB 211 INTRODUCTION TO FOOD SCIENCE (3 Units) (L 30: P 45)

Food constituents. Basic concepts in food science; food preservation and processing. Traditional and modern methods of food preservation, storage of foods and microbial quality changes.

 

MCB 317 IMMUNOLOGY (3 Units) (L.15: P 45)

Introduction. Historical background. Innate and acquired immunity. Antigens, antibodies, cellular immunity. Immunological tolerance and suppression. Surgical grafting. Complement System. Hypersensitivity. Immunological anomalies. Diagnostic immunology, Vaccines, effector  systems of parasite killing and nature of resistance in plants.

MCB 319 FOOD MICROBIOLOGY  (2 Units)  (L 15: P 30: T 0)

Pre-requisite: MCB 201/202; bch 201

The distribution, role and significance of micro-organisms in food; intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of foods that affect microbial growth, food spoilage and food borne diseases.  Micro-organisms, indices of food sanitary growth and food microbiology standards.  Disease of animal transmittable to man via food products. 

MCB 312  BACTERIAL DIVERSITY (3 Units)   (L15: P 45)

The morphology, life cycle and biochemical characteristics of bacteria. Systematic study of bacteria and other prokaryotes, their nature, characteristics, identification and isolation.

MCB 314  MICROBIAL ECOLOGY     (3 Units)  (L30:  P 45)

Microbes and ecological theory. Physiological, morphological and genetic adaptations of microorganisms to their environment. Microbial interactions; microorganisms in natural ecosystems. The life of microorganisms in air, springs, rivers, lakes and seas. Cycling of elements in water and sediments.

MCB 315    SOIL MICROBIOLOGY (3 Units)   (L 15: P 45)

The characteristics of soil environment; microbial flora and fauna of soil; microbial activities in soil; Nitrogen cycle, mineral transformation by microorganisms. Ecological relationship among soil pathogens. Effect of pesticides on soil microorganisms. Biodegradation and biofuels generation. Microbiology of the rhizosphere.

MCB 316  INTRODUCTORY VIROLOGY   (3 Units)  ( L30: P 45)

General characteristics of plant, animal and bacterial viruses; viral replication, spread and cytopathic effects. Virus classification, purification and assay. Regulation of lytic development and maintenance of the Lysogenic state in bacteriophages lambda, P2 and 14 single stranded DNA and RNA phageviroids as pathogens.

MCB 318 BIODETERIORATION (2 Units)   (L 30: P 15)

Principles of microbial deterioration of materials. Materials subject to microbial deterioration:  Foods, Jet fuels, paper, paints, textiles and leather, metals etc. Factors favoring deterioration of materials. Major microbial groups involved in deterioration. Impact of processing and new technologies on biodeterioration. Biodeterioration Control.

MCB 321  INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT ( 3 Units)  ( 6 MONTHS)

Students will be posted to industrial establishments such as food processing, brewing, distillery, pharmaceutical, research institutes or medical and health institutions. A report to be submitted for grading.

MCB 416   ESSAYS IN MICROBIOLOGY (3 Units)  (L 0)

Detailed literature search followed by presentation at a departmental Seminar of a scientific topic, which must be of microbiological or biotechnological interest.

MCB 413 PHARMACEUTICAL MICROBIOLOGY  (3 Units)   (L 15:  P 45)

Concepts of growth and death in microorganisms. The chemistry of synthetic chemotherapeutic agents and antibiotics. Production and synthesis of antibiotics and antiseptics. Relationship of antimicrobial agents to different microbial groups: Gram positives, Gram negatives, spore-formers etc . The mode of action and assay of antibiotics and antiseptics. Sensitivity and resistance as related to microbial physiology. Microbiological quality control in the Pharmaceutical industry.

MCB 414 ADVANCED FOOD MICROBIOLOGY (3 Units)    (L 45: P 15)

Advanced ecology, taxonomy, biochemistry and analytical technology of bacteria, yeasts, fungi and viruses associated with food spoilage, food-borne diseases and fermentations. Emphasis on new developments in Food Microbiology; economic consequences of microorganisms in food; exploitation of microorganisms in novel processes for the production of food ingredients.

MCB 417 PRINCIPLES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & PUBLIC HEALTH MICROBIOLOGY  (3 Units) (L 45: P 15)

Statistical applications to epidemiology. Nature of epidemiological investigations. Spectrum of infections. Herd immunity. Latency of infections. Multifactorial systems in epidemics. Zoonoses. Antigenic drifts. Biological products for immunization. Schedules for International control of infectious diseases.

MCB 418   PATHOGENIC MICROBIOLOGY  (3 Units)  (L 30: P 45)

Study of some microbial pathogens of plants and animals with emphasis on those prevalent in Nigeria. The geographical distribution, isolation, identification, morphology, life cycle, source of infection, transmission and the host. Ecology, clinical manifestations of specific bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens of man.

MCB 412   MICROBIAL GENETICS  (3 Units)  (L 30: P 45)

Principles of genetic analysis. Plasmids and transposable genetic elements, mutagenesis and DNA repairs, bacteriophage genetics and genetics of Nitrogen fixation. Mechanism and nature of mutation, induction, isolation and characterization of mutants. Genetic recombination in prokaryotes including transformation, transduction, phage conversion and conjugation. Recent techniques in microbial genetics. Chemical coding and expression of genetic information. Fungal genetics. Principles and applications of genetic engineering.

MCB 423  INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY  (3 Units) (L30: P 45)

Fermentation systems; design and use of fermenters. Microorganisms of Industrial importance. Classification of microbial products by use. Relationship between primary and secondary metabolism; characteristics, sources and strain improvement of industrial microorganisms. Microbial growth and product formation in industrial processes; media for industrial fermentations. Foaming, Major products of Industrial Microbiology: enzyme production and immobilization; production of vitamins, amino acids, antibiotics, organic acids, beer and wine

MCB 424  MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY & METABOLISM    (3Units)  (L 15: P 45)

Dynamics of growth. Nutrition and energy metabolism of microorganisms. Effect of physical and chemical factors on growth. Biochemistry of various microbial processes such as transport, regulation and respiration. Biosynthesis of microbial products. Buffer preparation and standardization. Basic separation techniques in microbiology, dialysis, salting out, gel filtration, electrophoresis etc. Assay techniques for various metabolites including microbial enzymes, acids etc.

MCB 415   ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY     (3 Units)   (L 15: P 45)

Impact assessment of microbial contamination of soil, water and air in relation to the deterioration of the environment. Soil, air and water pollution. Waste disposal and management. Methods of water and sewage treatment with emphasis on specific microorganisms involved. Disease transmission by water. Biological and Chemical Oxygen

MCB 419   MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY ASSURANCE  (2 Units)   (L 30: P 15)

A theoretical and practical consideration of the management of microbiological quality assurance. HACCP, cleaning and sanitation. Microbiological specifications and regulations. Local and international approaches to obtaining safe food. Management and quality assurance in the microbiology laboratory.

MCB 422    PETROLEUM MICROBIOLOGY   (3 Units)  (L 30:  P 15)

Biogenesis of fossil fuels with emphasis on the role of microorganisms. Petroleum prospecting and secondary recovery. Microbial corrosion of pipes and equipment. Methanogenesis and methanotrophy. Effects of oil spill on microbial activities in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Biodeterioration and biotransformation of hydrocarbons.

MCB 412   VIROLOGY & TISSUE CULTURE   (3 Units)  ( L 15: P 45)

Structure, properties and classification of viruses. Principles of isolation, cultivation and maintenance of plant and animal cells in vivo. Application of cell culture technique in virology. Viruses as agents of diseases in animals.

MCB 410   RESEARCH PROJECT  (4 Units)  (P 45)

A research project and dissertation to be undertaken on any topic of microbiological and/or biotechnological interest.

 

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

UTME

Entry requirements into the four-year full-time degree programme in Microbiology shall be at least credit passes in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and English Language at the West African Examination Council (WAEC) or National Examination Council (NECO) Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) or their equivalents.

Direct Entry

Candidates with two A level passes at the Advanced Level in one or more relevant subjects (Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Geography, Mathematics and Physics) may enrol for the three-year degree programme into 200-level.