Semester System in Delhi University

Will you please provide the information regarding the University of Delhi M.Sc. Microbiology Programme Semester System ? Also provide the syllabus .

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The University of Delhi was established in the year 1922. It is affiliated to UGC, NAAC, AIU .

The M.Sc. Microbiology Programme is of two years duration and is divided into two parts, Part
I and Part II.

Each part has two Semesters.

Semester one will have four theory papers of 100 marks each and one practical paper based on
theory papers of 200 marks.

Semester two also has four theory papers of 100 marks each including one Interdisciplinary paper and one practical paper of 200 marks.

Semester three has four theory papers of 100 marks each and one practical paper of 200 marks.

Semester four has only one Interdisciplinary theory paper of 100 marks and dissertation.

There will be no practical in this Semester.

Each theory examination will be of three hours durations and practical examination will
be for (8+8 hours) spread on two days.
University of Delhi M.Sc. Microbiology Programme syllabus
M.Sc. Microbiology
Note: Each theory examination will be 3 hours duration and practical examination will be 8+8 hours
duration for two days.
Part-I Semester-1
MICROB 0701
MICROB 0702
MICROB 0703
MICROB 0704
MICROB 0705
Diversity of Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Microbes
Microbial Physiology and Metabolism
Virology
Immunology
Practical (Based on theory papers)
Total(Theory/
Internal Assessment)
100 (70/30)
100 (70/30)
100 (70/30)
100 (70/30)
200(140/60)
Total marks :600
Theory : 400
Practical : 200
Semester-2
BIOCHEM 0801
MICROB 0802
MICROB 0803
MICROB 0804
MICROB 0805
Enzyme and Techniques in Biochemistry
Environmental Microbiology
Plant - Pathogen Interaction
Microbial Pathogenicity
Practical (Based on theory papers)
Total marks for Part-I Examinations: 600+600=1200
100 (70/30)
100 (70/30)
100 (70/30)
100 (70/30)
200(140/60)
Total marks: 600
Theory : 400
Practical : 200
Part-II Semester-3
MICROB 0901
MICROB 0902
MICROB 0903
MICROB 0904
MICROB 0905
Molecular Biology
Recombinant DNA Technology
Microbial Genetics
Industrial and Food Microbiology
Practical (Based on theory papers)
100 (70/30)
100 (70/30)
100 (70/30)
100 (70/30)
200(140/60)
Total marks: 600
Theory : 400
Practical : 200
Semester-4
PMBB 0804
MICROB 1001
Introduction To Bioinformatics
**Dissertation (Experimental, Presentation and Viva-Voce)
Total marks for Part-II Examinations: 600+600=1200
100 (70/30)
500
Total marks: 600
Theory: 100
Dissertation : 500
* Grand total of marks after Semester 1,2,3 and 4 = 600+600+600+600 = 2400
** Dissertation shall begin in Semester 3 (Part II)
DIVERSITY OF PROKARYOTIC AND EUKARYOTIC MICROBES
(4 credits Theory + 2 credits Practical = 6 credits)
Archaea: Systematics, and occurrence, diversity, characteristic features, significance and potential applications
(eg. biochips, methane generation, ultrafiltation membranes, production of PHB and PHA, desulphurization of
coal and crude oil, bioleaching of metals, enzymes, compatible solutes and others) of different groups of
archaebacteria (Crenarchaeota, Euarchaeota, Korarchaeota, Nanoarchaeota).
Bacteria: Conventional and molecular systematics, and general discussion on the occurrence, diversity,
characteristic features, significance and potential applications of various groups of bacteria according to
Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology.
Fungal Systematics and diversity: Implications of molecular and biochemical methods including rDNA
analysis, RFLP, RAPD and other fingerprinting techniques, fatty acids, polysaccharides and lipids and role of
secondary metabolites in systematics.
Fungal endophytes of tropical plants and their applications: Endophytic fungi, colonization and adaptation
of endophytes. Endophytes as latent pathogens and biocontrol agents.
Mycorrhizal fungi: Diversity of endo and ecto mycorrhizal fungi. Biology of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi:
signaling, penetration and colonization inside roots, culturing and benefits, recent advances in the field of
mycorrhiza.
Agriculturally important toxigenic fungi: Biodiversity, Chemical and biological characterization of toxic
metabolites, toxigenic fungi in sustainable agriculture with special emphasis on biopesticides.
Secondary metabolites from fungi: Terpenes, Non-ribosomal peptides, hydrophobins, peptaibols, indole
alkaloids, detailed emphasis on polyketides.
Genomics and Biodiversity of yeast: Gene duplication leading to adaptation and biodiversity, functional
evolution, diversity in central metabolism, case of aerobiosis/anaerobiosis, changes in regulatory circuits for
adaptation to new environments and physiology.
Antagonistic interactions in yeasts: Mycocinogeny and diversity of mycogenic yeast strains, characteristics of
mycocins, mode of action, genetic basis of mycocinogeny, important mycocins, applications of antagonistic
yeasts.
Biotechnological applications of yeasts: Yeasts as producers of bioactive molecules such as pigments, lipids,
organic acids and EPS, yeasts as probiotics, yeasts in bioremediation, yeasts in alcoholic fermentations.
Algal diversity from morphology to molecules: Importance of algae in production of algal pigments, biofuels,
hydrogen production, important bioactive molecules, role of algae in sustainable environment.
STUDY MATERIALS:
1. The Prokaryotes. A handbook on the biology of bacteria: ecophysiology, isolation, identification,
applications. Volumes I-IV by Balows, A., Trüper, H. G., Dworkin, M., Harder, W., Schleifer, K. H.
Springer-Verlag, New York; 1992
2. Bacterial Systematics, by Logan, A., Niall A. Logan, Wiley-blackwell; 1994
3. Principles of Microbiology by R.M. Atlas , Mosby publishers, St. Louis; 1995
4. Brock Biology of Microorganisms (12th edition) by Madigan and John M. Martinko, Paul V. Dunlap,
David P. Clark Benjamin Cummings; 2008.
5. Microbiology : An Introduction by Gerard J Tortora, Berdell R Funke, Christine L Case Benjamin-
Cummings Publishing Company ; 2008.
6. Fundamentals of the fungi by Elizabeth Moore, Fourth edition, Benjamin Cummings; Landecker;
1996.
7. Mycotechnology: Present status and future prospects. Edited by Mahendra Rai. I.K., International
Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.; 2007.
8. The Yeast Handbook: Biodiversity and Ecophysiology of yeasts by Carlos A. Rosa and Gabor Peter.
Springer- Verlag Berlin Heidelberg; 2006.
9. Algae: Anatomy, Biochemistry and Biotechnology by Laura Barsanti and Paolo Gualtieri. Taylor and
Francis Group, LLC; 2006.
MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND METABOLISM
(4 credits Theory + 2 credits Practical = 6 credits)
Growth and cell division: Measurement of growth, growth physiology, cell division, growth yields, growth
kinetics, steady state growth and continuous growth.
Solute Transport: Primary and Secondary transport: Introduction, Kinetics,
ABC transporters, Phosphotransferase system, Drug export systems, amino acid transport.
Central Metabolic Pathways and Regulation: Glycolysis, PPP, ED pathway, Citric acid cycle: Branched TCA and
Reverse TCA, glyoxylate cycle.
Utilization of sugars other than glucose and complex polysaccharides
. Nitrogen metabolism: Metabolism of amino acids: Amino acid biosynthesis and utilisation, lysine and glutamine
overproduction, stringent response, polyamine biosynthesis and regulation.
Metabolism of lipids and hydrocarbons: Lipid composition of microorganisms, biosynthesis and degradation of
lipids, lipid accumulation in yeasts, hydrocarbon utilization, PHA synthesis and degradation.
Metabolism of nucleotides: Purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis, regulation of purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis,
inhibitors of nucleotide synthesis.
Physiological Adaptations and Intercellular signaling: Introduction to two component system, regulatory systems
during aerobic- anaerobic shifts: Arc, Fnr, Nar, FhlA regulon, response to phosphate supply: The Pho regulon
Quorum sensing: A and C signaling system, sporulation in Bacillus subtilis, control of competence in Bacillus
subtilis.
Heat-Shock responses
pH homeostasis, osmotic homeostasis.
STUDY MATERIALS:
1. Biochemistry by Geoffrey L. Zubay. Fourth Edition, Addison-Wesley educational publishers Inc.,
2008
2. Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry by David L. Nelson and Michael M. Cox. Fifth Edition, W.H.
Freeman and Company; 2008.
3. Microbial lipids edited by C. Ratledge and SG Wilkinson, second edition, Academic Press; 1988.
4. Microbial Physiology by Albert G. Moat and John W. Foster. Third edition, John Wiley and Sons;
2002
5. The Physiology and Biochemistry of Prokaryotes by David White. Second Edition, Oxford University
Press; 2000.
VIROLOGY
(4 credits Theory + 2 credits Practical = 6 credits)
Section A: Animal Viruses
Classification, Morphology and Chemistry of Viruses: Virus evolution and classification, properties of viruses,
virus structure
Working with viruses: Techniques for visualisation and enumeration of viral particles, measuring biological
activity of viruses, assays for virus estimation and manipulation, characterization of viral products expressed in
infected cells, Diagnostic virology, Physical and chemical manipulation of viruses.
Virus replication Strategies: Principal events involved in replication: Adsorption, penetration, uncoating nucleic
acid and protein synthesis, intracellular trafficking, assembly, maturation and release, viral-host interaction, Host
response to viral infection.
Replication patterns of specific viruses: Replicative strategies employed by animal DNA viruses. Replicative
strategies employed by animal RNA viruses. Identification of virus prototypes associated with different virus
replication schemes; Details on important viruses namely Herpesvirus, Poliovirus, Influenza virus, VSV, SV40 and
Adeno Virus, Poxviruses, Hepatitis Viruses, coronaviruses, Retroviruses.
Subviral pathogens: HDV, Prions, Viroids
Pathogenesis of viral infection: Stages of infection, Patterns of some viral diseases- epidemiology, transmission,
infection, symptoms, risk, transformation and oncogenesis, emerging viruses.
Anti-viral strategies-prevention and control of viral diseases: Host specific and nonspecific defense mechanisms
involved in resistance to and recovery from virus infections. Role of interferon in viral infections. Contributions of
various host defense mechanisms in viral infections; Viral Chemotherapy: Nucleoside analogs, reverse transcriptase
inhibitors, protease inhibitors, History of vaccines especially smallpox and polio. New methods: subunit vaccines,
anti-idiotype and DNA vaccines.
Section B: plant and microbial viruses
History and development of plant virology, cryptograms, and classification of plant viruses and viroids:
Brief history of virology highlighting the significant contributions of scientists to the development of plant virology;
significance of plant virology and modern classification of plant viruses and viroids according to ICTV; and
cryptograms of various plant viruses and virus groups
Propagation, purification, characterization and identification and genomics of plant viruses: General methods
of propagation of plant viruses; purification of plant viruses using centrifugation, chromatography and
electrophoresis techniques, their assay and comparison of the sensitivity of assay methods; methods employed in
identification of plant viruses and structural and functional genomics
Symptoms of plant virus diseases, transmission of plant viruses, viral and viroid diseases and their control:
General discussion on symptoms caused by viruses and viroids in diseased economically important trees and
agricultural crops, and their control including development of virus disease resistant transgenetics
Microbial viruses: Diversity, classification, characteristics and applications of bacteriophages, and general account
on algal, fungal and protozoan viruses.
STUDY MATERIALS:
1. Principles of Virology: Molecular Biology, Pathogenesis and Control of Animal Viruses by S.J. Flint,
L.W. Enquist, V.R. Racaniello, and A.M. Skalka 2nd edition, ASM Press, Washington, DC, 2004.
2. Introduction to Modern Virology EPZ by Nigel Dimmock, Andrew Easton and Keith Leppard, 5th
edition, Blackwell Publishing, 2005
3. Basic Virology by Edward K. Wanger, Martinez Hewiett, David Bloom and David Camerini, 3rd edition,
Blackwell Publishing, 2007.
4. Principles of Molecular Virology by Alan J. Cann, 3rd edition, Elsevier Academic Press, 2001.
5. Plant Virology by Roger Hull, 4th edition, Academic press, 2002.
IMMUNOLOGY
(4 credits Theory + 2 credits Practical = 6 credits)
Three fundamental concepts in immunology: Specificity, discrimination of self from non-self and memory.
Immune cell receptors: Detailed structure and development of B cell (Ig) and T cell (TcR) receptors; Structure of
CD4, CD8, MHC-I, MHC-II molecules, cellular adhesion molecules (ICAM, VCAM, MadCAM, selectins,
integrins); Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs) and Toll-like receptors (TLR); Markers of suppressor / regulatory
cells - CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Treg , iNKT
Genetic organization: Organization of the genes for B and T cell receptors. Genetic organization of MHC-I and
MHC-II complex (both HLA and H-2). Molecular mechanisms responsible for generating diversity of antibodies
and T cell receptors. Peptide loading and expression of MHC-I and MHC-II molecules; Hybridoma technology and
monoclonal antibodies, antibody engineering.
Immune response and signaling: Humoral and cell-mediated immune response; Innate immune response and
pattern recognition; Recent advances in innate immune response especially NK-DC interactions; Major cytokines
and their role in immune mechanisms: TNF, IFN, IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, 1L-6, 1L-10, 1L-12, IL-17, TGFβ; Cell signaling
through MAP kinases and NF-κB.
Tolerance and autoimmunity: Central and peripheral tolerance, and their mechanism; Mechanisms of
autoimmunity; Autoimmune components of diabetes mellitus (DM), multiple sclerosis (MS), experimental
autoimmune encephalitis (EAE); Infections leading to autoimmune diseases.
Immunological disorders and hypersensitivity: Deficiencies / defects of T cells, B cells, complement and
phagocytic cells; Comparative study of Type I-V hypersensitivities with examples.
Transplantation and tumor immunology: Alloreactive response; Graft rejection and GVHD; HLA-matching;
Transgenic animals for xenotransplantation; Tumor antigens, immune response to tumors and immunotherapy of
tumors.
STUDY MATERIALS:
1. Kuby Immunology by Kindt TJ, Goldsby RA, Osborne BA, Kuby J: 6th edition. New York. WH
Freeman; 2006.
2. Cellular and Molecular Immunology by Abbas AK, Lichtman AH, Pillai S: Saunders Elsevier;
2007.
3. Immunobiology: The immune system in health and disease by Janeway CA,Travers P,Walport M,
Shlomchik MJ: 6th edition. New York. Garland Science Publishing; 2005.
4. Medical Microbiology and Immunology by Levinson W, Jawetz E: Lange publication; 2001.
5. Fundamental Immunology by Paul WE: 4th edition. New York. Raven Press; 2000.
6. Roitt’s Essential Immunology by Delves PJ, Martin SJ, Burton DR, Roitt IM; 11th
edition. Blackwell Publishing/Oxford Univ. Press; 2006.
PRACTICALS
(Based on theory papers)
1. Isolation of bacteria from various samples by enrichment techniques and their identification by
conventional biochemical and molecular methods as well as by BIOLOG system
2. To evaluate antimicrobial chemical agents by log reduction method.
3. To identify and study the important taxa of algae and fungi.
4. Evaluation of bacterial growth in liquid media: Diauxic growth curve.
5. Enrichment and isolation of members of Rhodospirillaceae : Analysis of photopigments.
6. Induction of β-galactosidase in E.coli.
7. Sugar transport in yeast
8. Endospore formation in Bacillus subtilis: Requirements for germination and out growth of
spores, correlation between sporulation and protease activity.
9. Study of dimorphism in yeast.
10. Physiology of microcyclic conidiation in fungi.
11. Study of physiological parameters of poly hydroxyl alkanoates accumulation in bacteria.
12. Meaurement of superoxide dismutase activity in bacteria under different physiological
conditions.
15. Study of enzyme kinetics.
16. Protein purification using various column chromatography, SDS-PAGE and NATIVE PAGE
analysis and pI determination.
17. Estimation of infectivity titre of a virus sample using Plaque assay.
18. Production of a purified virus stock and its quantitation.
19. Determination of size of a virus.
20. Detection of viral antibodies in given sample using agglutination assay.
21. Determination of specificity of anti-viral response by agglutination-inhibition assay.
22. Growth of animal cells in culture medium.
23. Determination of viral titre following infection of animal cells in culture.
24. Study of virus infected plant material.
25. To perform immunoelectrophoresis.
26. To perform radial immunodiffusion assay.
27. To perform rocket immunoelectrophoresis.
28. To stain a tissue by immunohistochemical reaction
29. To study quantitative precipitation assay
30. To perform dot-ELISA.
31 To perform latex agglutination test
32. To perform western blotting.
33. To study morphological and staining characteristics of lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes,
eosinophils, and basophils.

Contact Details :
University of Delhi
New Delhi, Delhi 110021
011 2700 6900
For the syllabus , here is the attachment;