The General Pathology and Microbiology Course introduces the student to the pathological phenomena knowledge that develop in the human body; offers the student the possibility to apply the knowledge, deriving from basic disciplines, to human pathology, through the knowledge of the physiopathological mechanisms responsible for the transition from a homeostatic to a pathological condition, and through the knowledge of the way in which various functional and/or structural alterations of organ and apparatus interact with each other, causing symptoms connected to each other and identifiable under a common etiopathogenesis. Understanding of the biology of microorganisms, of the micro-organism-host interaction and of the mechanisms of microbial pathogenicity. Understanding of the diagnostic significance of the main laboratory investigations.
At the end of the course the student must has acquired what are the etiological factors and the molecular-biochemical mechanisms that underlie pathological processes, that govern the reaction to tissue damage and repair; the biological defenses implemented in response to pathogens; the morphological alterations and functional consequences that these cause in cells and tissues; the nature of the neoplastic disease and the biological features of the neoplastic transformation. Acquiring the knowledge of the cellular and molecular bases of microbial pathogenicity and microorganism-host interactions in the field of bacteriology, virology, mycology and parasitology, and of the diagnostic-clinical aspects of microbiological analysis with particular regard to dental aspects. Acquiring the knowledge of the diagnostic laboratory, according to the main moments: pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical; the problems related to the preparation of the patient, the collection and storage of the samples; the principles of analytical measurement in Clinical Biochemistry; the meaning and use of laboratory investigations in connection with diseases of the major organs and systems.