VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY (SYLLABUS FOR ICAR’S JRF/SRF(PGS) )

SYLLABUS FOR THE ALL INDIA COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION FOR ADMISSION TO DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAMMES AND THE AWARD OF

JRF/SRF (PGS)

24 VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY 

Unit 1: General Bacteriology 

Milestones in the development of microbiology, Classification and nomenclature of bacteria. Structure, function and chemistry of bacterial nuclear apparatus. Cytoplasm, Intracellular granules, Cell wall, Cytoplasmic membrane, Mesosomes, Capsule, Flagella, fimbriae, Endospore, Protoplasts, Spheroplasts, L-forms, Involution forms. Bacterial stains, staining and microscopy. Growth and nutritional requirements of bacteria. Bacterial enzymes. Respiration in bacteria. Carbohydrate protein, fat and nucleic acid metabolism in bacteria. Reproduction and growth phase of bacteria. Effects of chemical and physical agents and antibiotics. Bacterial variations including transduction, transformation and conjugation. Bacterial vaccines and toxins. The role of microbial toxins in the pathogenesis of diseases; Biochemical and biological characteristics of toxins produced by various bacteria. Toxin producing Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Properties and clinical conditions produced by different bacterial toxins. 

Unit 2: Systematic Bacteriology 

Systematic study of bacteria belonging to genera Borrelia, Leptospira, Campylobacter, Pseudomonas, Brucella, Bordetella, Escherichia, Citrobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Proteus, Vibrio, Haemophilus, Staphylococus, Streptococcus, Bacillus, Clostridium, Listeria, Erysipelothrix, Corynebacterium, Nocardia, Rickettsia, Chlamydia, Mycoplasma, Acholeplasma, Spiroplasma, Anaeroplasma and Thermoplasma, Rhodococcus, Mycobacterium, Pasteurella and Neisseria. 

Unit 3: General Virology 

Historical development of virology. Evolution, classification and nomenclature of viruses. Biophysical and biochemical characteristics of viruses. Cultivation of viruses and their growth pattern in cell culture, embryonated eggs and experimental animals. Purification and concentration of viruses. Qualitative and quantitative assay of viruses. Viral replication. Virushost cell relationships. Replication strategies of animal viruses and molecular pathogenesis for selected viral system. Latent, persistent and chronic viral infections. Study of genetic variability of animal viruses through use of monoclonal antibodies, autoimmunity, immunosuppression and viral mutation in persistence infections. General principles of laboratory diagnosis of viral diseases. Epidemiology and pathology of viral infections. Immune mechanism in viral diseases. Interference and interferon. Viral vaccines, point of action of antiviral molecules during the replication cycle of a virus and search for new antiviral compounds, viruses and gene therapy. Chemotherapy of viral infections. 

Unit 4: Systematic Virology 

Systematic study of RNA and DNA viruses in livestock and poultry with reference to antigenicity, cultivation, pathogenesis, epidemiology, diagnosis and immunity, RNA viruses: Retroviruses and lymphotropic viruses, Visna and Maedi, Arboviruses, Rotaviruses. Birnaviruses. Picornaviruses. Bunyaviruses. Cornoaviruses. Togaviruses, Paramyxoviruses, Orthomyxoviruses, Rhabdoviruses. Picornaviruses. Bunyaviruses. Arenaviruses. Arterioviruses. Caliciviruses. Filoviruses, DNA viruses: Poxviruses. Hepadnaviruses. Iridoviruses, Adenoviruses, Papovaviruses. Parvoviruses. Circoviruses. Unclassified viruses. Slow viruses - Scrapie, Flavi virus, Borna virus, Herpes virus, Asfar virus. 

Unit 5: Mycology 

General characteristics of fungi. Classification and study of pathogenic fungi-Epidermophyton, Microsporum, Trichophyton, Cryptococcus, Aspergillus, Blastomyces, Coccidioides, Histoplasma, Candida, Rhinosporidum, Contaminating fungi, Rhizopus, Mucor and Penicillium. Fungi causing mastitis, abortion and mycotoxicosis, Malseezia furfur. 

Unit 6: Immunology 

Historical Perspectives. Host-parasite relationships. Antigens. Types of antigens. Properties and specificity of antigens. Factor determining antigenicity. Haptens and carriers. Heterophile antigens. Adjuvants. Mechanisms of action, classification and their uses. Immunoglobulins – their classes and sub-classes, structure and function. Allotypes. Idiotypes. Genes coding for Igs. Generation of diversity. Monoclonal antibodies. Purification of antibodies. Theories of antibody formation. Lymphoid organs: primary, secondary and circulation of lymphocytes, cells involved in the immune response – B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, subsets and nature of receptors. Macrophages, Dendritic reticular cells, Langerhan’s cells. Cellular interactions Cell-mediated immune responses. Mechanism of interaction of antigen and antibody. The complement system. Classical and alternate pathways. Serological reactions: agglutination, precipitation, neutralization, CFT, FAT, ELISA, DIE, RIA, etc, Immunological methods as an aid to diagnosis, blotting techniques like Northern, Western blotting, Major, Histocompatibility complex: organization. Nature of antigens and MHC restriction. Hypersensitivity – immediate and delayed types, and mechanism of hypersensitivity. Mechanism of immunity, autoimmunity and immunological tolerance. 

Unit 7: Molecular Cell Biology (Vaccine & Diagnostic Technology)

Role of biotechnology in diagnostics and vaccines, RNA electropherotyping. Probes - preparation of cDNA. Use of DNA probe in animal diseases diagnosis. Monoclonal antibodies. Application on monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis of animal diseases. Preparation of monoclonal antibodies. Nucleic acid hybridization. Modern trends in vaccines. Recombinant DNA vaccines and their probable use in animal diseases. Bioinformatic tools in microbial research, Biosafety, Biosecurity, GMP and GLP.