00671 - Infectious Diseases

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will know the basic principles about epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinics, therapy and prevention of the most important infectious diseases.

Course contents

Introduction to infectious diseases: definitions and general Principles

Principles of infection control; principles of diagnostic methods in infectious diseases; vaccines

Bacteremia; sepsis; septic shock; vascular catheter–related infections

Endocarditis; osteoarticular infections

Respiratory infections, including COVID‑19, influenza, and tuberculosis

Urinary tract infections; intra‑abdominal infections; diarrheal diseases; skin and soft tissue infections

Central nervous system infections; arbovirosis; malaria and fundamentals of tropical medicine

HIV/AIDS and opportunistic infections; viral hepatitis; principles of sntiviral therapy

Febrile neutropenia and other infections in immunocompromised patients; principles of antibacterial therapy; principles of antifungal therapy

Empirical therapy of major infectious syndromes

Clinical profile and management of major pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Streptococcus pneumoniae

Clinical profile and management of major pathogens (including key multidrug‑resistant organisms): Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida spp., Aspergillus

Readings/Bibliography

Recommended Reading: L. Calza, Principles of Infectious Diseases, 5th Edition, Esculapio, 2022.

Further Reading: Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine – Infectious Diseases section.

For additional in‑depth study of the main topics covered:

• Review articles published in leading international journals
• Links to websites of major international organizations and scientific societies

Teaching methods

During the lectures, delivered through PowerPoint presentations, the topics outlined in the course program will be presented and developed. The slide sets will be uploaded to the Virtuale platform by the day of the corresponding lecture.

Assessment methods

Learning assessment is carried out through a final examination that verifies the acquisition of the expected knowledge by means of an oral test.

Final grade scale:

• Preparation on a very limited number of topics covered in the course and overall correct language use → 18–19

• Preparation on a limited number of topics covered in the course and correct language use → 20–24

• Preparation on a broad range of topics covered in the course and solid command of specific terminology → 25–29

• Comprehensive preparation on all topics covered in the course and strong argumentation and self-reflection skills → 30–30 with honors

The exam will be held jointly with Microbiology in the context of the Integrated Course "INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND MICROBIOLOGY". The final grade will be the weighted average of the marks obtained in the individual parts.

Teaching tools

Lessons with PowerPoint slides as well as pdf versions of the slides provided during the lessons. The slides are available on dedicated Virtual spaces.

Office hours

See the website of Gianpiero Tebano