Viral Pathogensis

Catalog description

Viral Pathogenesis provides students with a general knowledge of medically relevant viruses, with a specific focus on important human viral pathogens. The course is meant to help students understand how viruses cause diseases in humans and animals. Lectures and in-class discussions will focus both on the fundamentals of viral infection and disease mechanisms, and on contemporary virology-related topics in the scientific literature. Topics discussed can be divided into two main areas: (1) general concepts related to viral pathogenesis and the control of viral infections; and (2) specific viruses that cause human disease including HIV-1, herpes viruses, papillomaviruses, influenza virus, West Nile virus, Ebola virus, and SARS virus. Although prior knowledge of virology is not required for taking this course, a working knowledge of molecular biology, cell biology, immunology, and some microbiology is helpful.