This course deals with major diseases caused by eukaryotic microbes. The course is designed to give students a better understanding of disease-causing parasites, their life cycles, how they 'hijack' and control their host cells in order to initiate infection, cause disease and replicate. The subject will cover a number of significant pathogens, including Plasmodium, Trypanosoma and Leishmania, as well as concepts of emerging drug resistance, how this occurs, and what can be done to fight drug-resistant parasites. Students will also be introduced to the concept of vector mediated diseases, including those caused by malaria parasites, and vector control methods. Overall, this subject will explore the diversity of molecular and cellular mechanisms utilised by parasites to dysregulate the host immune system and drive pathogenesis, as well as discuss the need for urgent control of these parasites, both by drug mediated mechanisms, vaccine development and vector control.
A total of thirteen 45-minute lectures will be delivered online. Students are required to attend all lectures and turn their video camera on. The course is designed for students undertaking a Masters or a PhD degree at the Weizmann Institute in any field relating to biological sciences. No other pre-requisites are required to attend the course. The grading scheme of the course is based on a compulsory final exam and an individual numerical grade will be attribute to each student. The final exam is composed of multiple-choice questions and short answer questions.