Emerging and Re-emerging Infections - Clinical, Epidemiological and Social Challenges

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2024-2025

Topic

Infections, by definition, are interactions between a microorganism (the parasite in broad sense) and a host, with a temporary or permanent unfavourable outcome for the latter one. For this to happen, three conditions should co-exist: the host should be susceptible, the infecting organism should be equipped with factors (virulence factors) making it able to interact with the host and finally an encounter should take place between them. The first two ones are genetically determined and, on both sides, are subject to changes, to evolution or even co-evolution, that sudden genetic changes on the microbe’s side could affect. The chances of encounters, beyond environmental aspects, are created and influenced by social, behavioural, cultural and economic factors. Consequently, changes in any of these, as is currently being continuously witnessed to happen, the incidence of certain infectious diseases in a given region or even globally, can change, new type of diseases can appear, or ones of the past can re-appear often exhibiting altered clinical or epidemiological features.

During the course, using specific examples of outbreaks, cases and problems the biological, environmental and social driving forces behind these infections will be highlighted. Participants will be encouraged to recognize and identify the problems leading to the emergence and re-emergence of these infections and to discuss the possible diagnostic, clinical and public health solutions to control them.

Lectures

• 1.

  Emerging infections - the driving forces behind

• 2.

  HIV

• 3. Coronaviruses - Kemenesi Gábor
• 4. Haemorrhagic fevers - Kemenesi Gábor
• 5.

  Vector-borne viruses

• 6. Legionellosis - Pál Tibor
• 7. Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli - Pál Tibor
• 8. Regional emergence and spread – Vibrio cholerae - Pál Tibor
• 9. Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis - Pál Tibor
• 10. Emerging sexually transmitted infections (STI) - Pál Tibor
• 11. Emerging fungal infections - Pál Ágnes Mária (Sonnevend)
• 12. Emerging parasitic infections - Palkovics Tamás

Practices

Seminars

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Literature developed by the Department

Lecture notes as pdf files

Notes

Recommended literature

Murray P et al (eds) Medical Microbiology, 8th ed. ELSEVIER 2016

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

-

Mid-term exams

Individual discussions

Making up for missed classes

Individual discussions

Exam topics/questions

-

Examiners

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars