📘Step 1. Curriculum Coverage

🔬 Pathology

Foundations of Pathology, Microbiology and the Cell

• Define pathology and microbiology and list their major branches.
• Describe essential characteristics of the five major groups of microorganisms.
• Differentiate between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
• Define the cell.
• Describe the structure of the cell membrane.
• Describe major cell organelles.

Bacterial Classification and Structure

• Classify bacteria according to oxygen requirements, staining characteristics, nature of cell wall and ability to form spores.
• Describe the structure and function of the bacterial cell wall, cytoplasmic membrane, mesosome, ribosomes, granules and nucleoid.
• Describe capsule, flagella, pili and glycocalyx.
• Differentiate Gram-positive and Gram-negative cell walls.
• Describe classification and important functions of plasmids.
• Describe functions and arrangement of transposons.
• Describe the structure, function and medical importance of bacterial spores.

Bacterial Growth and Normal Flora

• Describe the phases of the bacterial growth curve.
• Describe medically important members of normal flora and their anatomical locations.

Bacterial Genetics

• Define mutation.
• Describe major types of mutations and their causes.

Describe conjugation, transduction, recombination and transformation.