Course Descriptions

An introduction to the basic aspects of humoral and cell-mediated immunity, the role of immunological reactions in infectious disease pathogenesis, hypersensitivity, and autoimmune disease. Students will study the principles of immunity to bacteria, viruses and parasites and the fundamentals of vaccination. Students will also be familiarized with diagnostic techniques for assessing the immune system and for diagnosis of immune mediated disease.

Restriction(s): Admitted to Year 1 of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program.

Introduces the basic features of disease, including causation, transmission and effects at the individual animal and population level. Emphasis will be placed on disease as an ecological factor and on basic approaches for describing and quantifying disease in populations.

Restriction(s): Admitted to Year 1 of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program.

An introduction to the comparative biology of viral infections, taught from the perspective of virus families and associated diseases. This includes the general principles of virus replication, spread, pathogenesis and control.

Restriction(s): Successful completion of Year 1 of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program.

This course covers helminth, anthropod, and protozoan parasites important for veterinary and public health in western Canada. Through lectures, you will learn aspects of life cycles, ecology, epidemiology, and pathogenesis of parasites necessary for diagnosis and management of parasites and vectors of veterinary importance. In the laboratory and lab-based examinations, you will conduct hands on diagnostics and identification of gross and microscopic specimens, including fecal flotations.

Restriction(s): Successful completion of Year 1 of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program.

Provides basic knowledge of the common bacterial and fungal diseases of animals, with emphasis on those present in North America. Coverage of specific diseases/organisms include: distribution, epidemiology, mechanisms of pathogenesis, immunity, diagnosis, and prevention. Laboratory sessions emphasize the proper selection, collection and transportation of bacteriologic and fungal specimens. Basic processing of clinical/pathological specimens and identification of bacteria and fungal organisms commonly present in those specimens is offered.

Restriction(s): Successful completion of Year 1 of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program.

A lecture and seminar discussion-based course designed to introduce students to past and modern approaches to antibiotic discovery and the current focus on alternatives, including pro-, pre- and postbiotics. The course will highlight success stories to include many of the drugs that the students will rely on daily in their future practice of veterinary medicine. After a brief introduction to the field, students will select specific seminar topics of high interest.

Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of Year 2 of the D.V.M. program.
Note: This is a Year 3 elective for students in the D.V.M. program.

This course will engage students in the process of critically evaluating and communicating scientific design, conduct, and research outputs in selected areas of microbiology; including bacteriology, epidemiology, immunology, parasitology, and virology. Coursework will develop the student’s ability to effectively communicate scientific concepts in microbiology, experimental design, and research outputs through a variety of means to diverse target audiences.

Weekly hours: 1 Seminar/Discussion hours and 2 Tutorial hours

A "hands-on" laboratory course designed to familiarize students with a variety of techniques in molecular biology, from basic laboratory skills to application of state of the art methods and instrumentation for analysis and manipulation of nucleic acids and proteins. Laboratory exercises are combined with lectures and dry lab work to provide students with an understanding of underlying concepts and theory.

Weekly hours: 5 Lecture hours and 30 Practicum/Lab hours
Prerequisite(s): Graduate or upper undergraduate level course on molecular biology; permission of instructor.
Note: 4 week course beginning in May.

Students, in discussion groups and seminars, explore current topics in virology. Some areas discussed in previous years are: interferon response and viral strategies for evading it, viral oncogenesis, viruses and cancer therapy, antiviral agents and viral strategies for resistance, viruses as tools for nanotechnology. Reviews prepared by students will be considered for publication in Student Reviews in Current Virology, an on-line publication.

Weekly hours: 2 Seminar/Discussion hours and 1 Tutorial hours

An introduction to molecular diagnostic methods including the concepts underlying nucleic acid sequencing, manipulation, detection, quantification and genomics and bioinformatics. Concepts will be illustrated by drawing on specific applications of these techniques in veterinary medicine with an emphasis on infectious disease diagnosis and research.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

This course is a hands-on course in immunology designed to provide students with theoretical and practical knowledge in immunology. The course is a 4 week all day course, it provides a review of the immune system, and it functions as well as routine immunological assays. The course is being taught in a classroom setting as well as in the lab where students will learn to perform the assays and analyze and troubleshoot their data.

Weekly hours: 5 Lecture hours and 35 Practicum/Lab hours
Note: Please note this is a 4-week course. Students with credit for VTMC 841.6 will not receive credit for this course.

An introduction to the molecular bases of multiorganismal interactions from theory to well-established models involving microbes. This course emphasizes the importance of functional biological units and methods to study interactions between organisms. After an introduction to the field, students will read and present relevant literature.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours and 1.5 Practicum/Lab hours and 1 Tutorial hours

A thorough study on a selected topic in veterinary microbiology will be undertaken for which no formal course exists and specific to the candidate and their goals. To be defined and described each time it is offered.

Weekly hours: 2 Lecture hours and 1 Seminar/Discussion hours and 6 Practicum/Lab hours

A thorough study on a selected topic in veterinary microbiology will be undertaken for which no formal course exists and specific to the candidate and their goals. To be defined and described each time it is offered.

Weekly hours: 2 Lecture hours and 1 Seminar/Discussion hours and 6 Practicum/Lab hours

Graduate students are required to attend and take part in the seminar throughout their program. Faculty and visiting scientists may also contribute to the course.

Students writing a M.Sc. thesis must register for this course.

Students writing a Ph.D. thesis must register for this course.