The Human Microbiome

This course will give students a thorough understanding of the microbial communities in and on humans. This includes the different roles of the communities in the well-being of humans and links to important human diseases like allergies, obesity, inflammatory bowel diseases, and diabetes. Students will obtain detailed knowledge on the different microorganisms shaping the microbiome of key human habitats, i.e. the colon, skin, oral cavity, vagina and lungs.
 

Knowledge:

By completing the course the student will be able to:

• describe the main members of the microbiome of the human colon, skin, oral cavity, vagina, and lungs
• describe key physiological aspects of the main members of the human microbiome
• describe how the main members of the microbiome interact with their human host
• describe how the human microbiome may be linked to human disease, i.e. obesity, allergies, inflammatory bowel diseases, and diabetes
• describe how the human microbiome may affect the behaviour of humans
• describe how human life style may influence the microbiome
• describe the pros and cons of using specific animal models to study the links between microbiomes and human health

Skills:

• present orally and in writing key aspects of the human microbiome and its effects on human health
• propose studies for investigating the human microbiome and its interactions with the human host

Competences:

• evaluate the effects of the human microbiome on human health
• evaluate methods used to investigate the human microbiome and the interactions between the human microbiome and the human host
• evaluate the use of animal models in the study of interactions between microbiomes and human health
• independently retrieve and critically evaluate information from the primary scientific literature on the human microbiome and relationships between the human microbiome and human health
• discuss original scientific articles and reviews on the human microbiome
• submit a coherent brief research project proposal on a specific microbiome-related topic