Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Public Health Mycology

CO-INSTRUCTORS: Dr. James Scott & Dr. Richard Summerbell, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

CLASSROOM: TBA

TIMING: TBA

EMAIL: james.scott@utoronto.ca

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This lecture and laboratory-based graduate course will familiarize students with fungi of public health importance, particularly those that cause disease in humans and other animals. Lectures will discuss basic mycology, health implications and environmental risk factors for fungal disease, clinical presentations, pathophysiology, and treatment of fungal infections. Laboratory sessions will stress techniques employed in the isolation and characterization of the fungi, the use of sterile technique, and the operation of standard laboratory equipment.

SCHEDULE:

DATE	TOPIC
Week 1	Lecture: Fungal systematics and ecology Laboratory: Working with microfungi in the laboratory
Week 2	Lecture: Morphology of microfungi I Laboratory: Brightfield microscopy in microfungal identification
Week 3	Lecture: Morphology of microfungi II Laboratory: Isolation of fungi from environmental materials
Week 4	Lecture: Fungal physiology and antifungal drugs Laboratory: Microfungi in pure culture and fungal preservation
Week 5	Lecture: Blastomycosis, histoplasmosis Laboratory: Working with morphological keys for fungal identification
Week 6	Lecture: Coccidioidomycosis, paracoccidioidomycosis Laboratory: Culture collection
Week 7	Lecture: Aspergillosis, sporotrichosis, mucoromycosis Laboratory: Culture collection
Week 8	Lecture: Mycoses caused by yeasts Laboratory: Culture collection
Week 9	Lecture: Dermatophytosis and other cutaneous mycoses Laboratory: Culture collection
Week 10	Lecture: Veterinary mycoses Laboratory: Culture collection
Week 11	Lecture: Molecular methods for fungal identification Laboratory: Culture collection
Week 12	Lecture: Emerging topics in medical and veterinary mycology Laboratory: Culture collection

EVALUATION:

• Take-home final test assigned following the final lecture and due 1 week later (40%).
• Students will submit a culture collection consisting of 20 pure cultures identified to genus-level or species-level based on their work in the laboratory (40%). Due at the end of the last week of classes.
• Participation in class and laboratory sessions (20%).