Content (Syllabus outline)
Introduction to the digestive tract and acquaintance with anatomical and physiological characteristics and specificities of the digestive tract of humans and animals. Digestive tract microbiota, its features and characteristics (taxonomy, physiology and genetics). Development of gastrointestinal microbiota that inhabit the digestive tract. Methods and principles of microbial ecological studies of gastrointestinal ecosystems and isolation of specific parts of the gastrointestinal tract microbiota. Interactions between microorganisms of the gastrointestinal ecosystem and gut microorganisms and the host, and the importance of microbiota for the host. Fermentation of carbohydrates, nitrogen cycling, the emergence of microbial protein, vitamins and growth factors in the gastrointestinal tract. Anti-nutrients, detoxification and microbial diseases caused by parts of the gastrointestinal tract microbiota. Concepts, principles and importance of gnotobiology. Methods of manipulation of gastrointestinal microbiota, antibiotics and other metabolic modulators of the digestive tract metabolism. Pro, pre and synbiotics. Oral microbiology and its specificities.
Prerequisites
The condition to enter the course is enrolment into the 1st or 2nd year of the level two of Microbiology. For students from other study courses of natural sciences knowledge of basic principles in Microbial ecology and Molecular biology is required, equivalent to the knowledge of microbiology students acquired at these courses at the level I. study of microbiology.
A condition to enter the final exam is a passed colloquium and seminar.