OVERVIEW

Infectious diseases: epidemiology, etiology, clinical symptoms, generality of anti-infective therapy

AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Attendance and active participation in the proposed activities (frontal lessons), together with individual study will allow the student to:

• Lear he etio-pathogenetic basis of infectious diseases, the general mechanisms of tissue damage, and understand the main pathophysiological processes of infectious diseases
• Learn the rational basis of the use of anti-infective drugs and the general notions of general pharmacology
• Acquire basic knowledge of the clinical pictures of diseases relevant for their epidemiological impact and/or severity in neurology, internal medicine and infectious diseases
• Acquire the ability to recognize severe and rapidly evolving clinical pictures caused by the principal infectious diseases 

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

• Recognize the symptoms of the main infectious diseases
• Recognize fundamental differences between the main infectious diseases
• Recognize and describe how to reduce the risk of transmission of some communicable infectious diseases
• Recognize the elements of urgency in the clinical pictures of the main infectious diseases

TEACHING METHODS

• Frontal teaching. In case of unforeseen circumstances, telematic teaching could be considered
• Use of audiovisual material (videos, images, power point presentations)

Any Student with documented Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), or with any special needs, shall reach out to the Lecturer(s) and to the dedicated SLD Representative in the Department before class begins, in order to liase and arrange the specific teaching methods and ensure proper achievement of the learning aims and outcomes.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The program includes the presentation and discussion of the following topics:

• Introduction to infectious diseases: global impact, definitions of infectious diseases, contagiousness, route of transmission
• Risk factors and principles of prevention and management of antimicrobial resistance
• Biological risk and isolation measures
• Main infectious syndromes/pathologies:
  • sepsis
  • meningitis
  • encephalitis
  • pneumonia
  • gastroenteritis
  • healthcare-associated infections
  • viral hepatitis
  • HIV infection
  • infections by multi-resistant microorganisms

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Material and slides delivered to lessons.

For in-depth studies: Manuale di malattie infettive - Moroni , Antinori, Vullo -  Editore: Elsevier - Masson

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam with questions about exam topics and or a clinical case

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The aim of the exam is to verify the acquisition of key concepts in infectious diseases (both in general and specifically related to the principal infectious diseases), the ability to rapidly recognize the presence of serious, life-threatening infections, and the ability to adopt appropriate measures to prevent the development and transmission of infectious diseases.