BIOMED 750 provides a graduate-level study of medical and clinical microbiology, infectious disease processes, antimicrobial resistance, infection control, diagnostic microbiology, and the human microbiome for Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine students. The course emphasizes microorganisms of medical importance, including bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, protozoa, helminths, prions, and normal microbiota. Students examine microbial structure, classification, physiology, metabolism, genetics, virulence, pathogenicity, transmission, epidemiology, immunodiagnostics, antimicrobial therapy, antimicrobial stewardship, and organ-system infectious diseases. Special attention is given to host-microbe relationships, microbial ecology, clinical red flags, public-health prevention, biosafety, microbiome claims control, interprofessional referral, and evidence-informed naturopathic patient education within appropriate scope. The 4-credit version uses 23 Canvas-based microcredentials to support sustained reading, applied interpretation, and competency-based assessment across the semester.

1.      Explain the classification, morphology, physiology, ecological roles, and clinical significance of microorganisms relevant to human health.

2.      Differentiate bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, protozoa, helminths, and prions according to structure, replication, pathogenesis, and clinical relevance.

3.      Analyze microbial growth, metabolism, genetics, gene regulation, horizontal gene transfer, and antimicrobial-resistance mechanisms.

4.      Describe mechanisms of microbial pathogenicity, virulence, transmission, epidemiology, outbreak spread, host-microbe interaction, and disease progression.

5.      Interpret clinical microbiology concepts used in diagnostic testing, immunodiagnostics, infection control, susceptibility testing, and antimicrobial stewardship.

6.      Compare infectious diseases by organ system, including skin, eye, respiratory, urogenital, digestive, circulatory, lymphatic, and nervous system infections.

7.      Evaluate the role of the human microbiome in health, immune regulation, inflammation, infection risk, antimicrobial exposure, and disease susceptibility using evidence-informed claims control.

8.      Apply safe, ethical, scope-appropriate reasoning to infectious disease case studies involving prevention, clinical red flags, patient education, referral, and interprofessional care.