Outline

Overview

Various microscopic and macroscopic organism can be seen to interact and adapt to the animal host, many of these interactions can lead to deleterious effects on animal health. The aim of this unit is to examine and appreciate the diversity of various disease causing agents (microbiological and parasitological) of significance to animal industries and the various strategies employed by those agents in the host-pathogen-environment interaction. This study is based on an understanding of the physical, chemical and genetic characteristics of infectious agents of disease and builds on the fundamental knowledge of pathological and immunological processes taught in 2000 level units of the Animal Health, Disesae and Welfare major. A scenario/case based approach will be used whenever possible to enable the students to develop problem solving approaches and skills in critical thinking. Cases selected will be those that best illustrate particular concepts and/or are of particular significance to the animal/veterinary industry. Research and industry focus activities will infuse the subject content and student learning outcomes of this unit. At the completion of the unit you will have acquired detail knowledge of relevant veterinary pathogens and an appreciation of how mangements strategies can impact upon disesae risk in animal populations. You will also gain practical skills in the laboratory diagnosis of many of these infectious agents. This unit is located at the Camperdown campus.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	AVBS2001
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Gary Muscatello, gary.muscatello@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Gary Muscatello, gary.muscatello@sydney.edu.au
	David Emery, david.emery@sydney.edu.au
	Jan Slapeta, jan.slapeta@sydney.edu.au
	Timothy Newsome, timothy.newsome@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final exam MCQs, Short and long answer response	50%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Individual scientific literature review Written assignment	25%	Week 08 Due date: 19 Apr 2023 at 23:59	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Multiple Choice in class quiz 30 MCQs (Canvas timed quiz)	10%	Week 09 Due date: 28 Apr 2023 at 15:00	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Group case/scenario report Written report	15%	Week 11 Due date: 10 May 2023 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Multiple Choice Exam: The MCQ will consist of 40 questions, covering lectured material (bacteriology and
mycology and virology) and will be worth 10% of your overall grade. Questions and answers to the MCQ will be explored and discussed in the second half of the tutorials enabling you to obtain instant feedback, clarification and improved understanding of material and concepts covered in this quiz.
Individual scientific literature review: In this assignment you will be given a recently published (2020) scientific paper on an aspect of the pathogenesis or epidemiology of a specific
viral pathogen. You will then choose 2 other original scientific papers (NOT REVIEW ARTICLES!!!) published in journals within the last 5 years (2016-2021) to develop a theme to base your review upon. Your task for this assignment will be to produce a 1500 word literature review based on the 3 papers exploring a specific theme of relevance and importance in our current understanding of a given viral animal pathogen.
Group case/scenario report: Your task for this assignment will be to work in small groups (maximum of 5 people per group) on a specific bacterial, fungal, viral or prion infectious disease scenario encountered in animal/veterinary science providing a written and diagrammatical report to inform and educate stakeholders of your plans to investigate and address the issues and questions at hand.
Final exam: This is a close book examination of 2 hours duration will be held in the formal exam period. All material and activities covered in the unit will potentially be examinable. The examination will consist of 3 parts:
- Section A – 35 MCQ (~1 per lecture)
- Section B – 4 short answer questions (10 marks per question)
- Section C – 3 short essay case based questions (15 marks per question)

The final exam assessment is compulsory and failure to attend, attempt, or submit will result in the award of an AF grade. If a second replacement exam is required, this exam may be delivered via an alternative assessment method, such as a viva voce (oral exam). The alternative assessment will meet the same learning outcomes as the original exam. The format of the alternative assessment will be determined by the unit coordinator.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

5% mark deduction per day

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to unit	Lecture (1 hr)
	Structure and function of infectious agents	Lecture (1 hr)
	Principles of infectious pathogenesis	Lecture (1 hr)
	Assignment workshop	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	Parvoviridae and Papillomaviridae	Lecture (1 hr)
	Cell culture	Lecture (1 hr)
	Immunological and molecular techniques	Lecture (1 hr)
	Virology tutorial	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	Poxviridae	Lecture (1 hr)
	Herpesviridae (part 1)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Herpesviridae (part 2)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Virology tutorial	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	Picornaviridae, Caliciviridae and Coronaviridae	Lecture (1 hr)
	Flaviviridae, Togaviridae and Reoviridae	Lecture (1 hr)
	Orthomyxoviridae and Paramyxoviridae	Lecture (1 hr)
	Virology Tutorial	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	Rhabdoviridae, Retroviridae and Prions	Lecture (1 hr)
	Introduction to Parasitology	Lecture (1 hr)
	Ectoparasites	Lecture (1 hr)
	Ectoparasite practical exercise	Science laboratory (1.5 hr)
Week 06	Nematodes	Lecture (1 hr)
	Cestodes and Trematodes	Lecture (1 hr)
	Integrated pest management	Lecture (1 hr)
	Helminths practical exercise	Science laboratory (1.5 hr)
Week 07	Toxoplasmosis	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 08	Malaria	Lecture (1 hr)
	Tritrichomonas foetus	Lecture (1 hr)
	Parasitic and exotic zoonoses	Lecture (1 hr)
	Protozoa practical exercise	Science laboratory (1.5 hr)
Week 09	Staphylococcus and Streptococcus	Lecture (1 hr)
	Rhodococcus, Actinomyces and Corynebacterium	Lecture (1 hr)
	Mycobacterium, Nocardia and Dermatophilus	Lecture (1 hr)
	Summary tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	Listeria and Erysipelothrix	Lecture (1 hr)
	Enterobacteriaceae (Part 1)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Enterobacteriaceae (Part 2)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Bacteriology practical (Part 1)	Science laboratory (3 hr)
Week 11	Pasteurellaceae	Lecture (1 hr)
	Moraxella, Brucella and Footrot	Lecture (1 hr)
	Pseudomanas, Burkholderia.and Chlamydia	Lecture (1 hr)
	Bacteriology practical (Part 2)	Science laboratory (3 hr)
Week 12	Bacillus and Clostridium	Lecture (1 hr)
	Mycoplasma and Q fever	Lecture (1 hr)
	Other bacterial of veterinary importance	Lecture (1 hr)
	Bacteriology practical (Part 3)	Science laboratory (3 hr)
Week 13	Mycosis	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 13	Summary tutorial/ exam preparation	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance at practical and tutorial sessions are highly encouraged. Failure to attend these sessions in person (or live on -line) is likely to impact on your capacity to succesfuly complete this unit. I encourage you to make the most of these valuaeble practical and tutorial classes attending all of them to aid in your succesful completion of this unit.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Recognise, describe and name the common infectious disease-causing agents that impact the animal/veterinary industry
LO2. Explain the significance and interplay of the host-pathogen-environment- interaction (HPEI) in disease manifestation and animal production outcomes
LO3. Recognise the behavioural, pathological and productivity signs associated with given agents of disease
LO4. Know and perform the methods, tests and sampling strategies (including sampling and transport) which underpin the diagnosis of an infectious disease
LO5. Examine HPEI and apply these interactions in disease control and prevention strategies
LO6. Examine the various issues related to zoonoses, chemical treatment and food safety that affect handling and treatments for infectious agents
LO7. Employ the most recent information from literature to evaluate and assess new diagnostic techniques, therapeutics and management strategies to combat infectious disease in farmed and wild animal populations.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Continue to modify content. Much improved USS scores the formative task help with increased feedback scores.

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Q-fever vaccination and completion of the Canvas module “Zoonosis Awareness” is compulsory.

We are governed by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 and Codes of Practice. Penalties for non-compliance have increased. Everyone has a responsibility for health and safety at work. The University’s Work Health and Safety policy explains the responsibilities and expectations of workers and others, and the procedures for managing WHS risks associated with University activities.

General Laboratory Safety Rules

No eating or drinking is allowed in any laboratory under any circumstances
A laboratory coat and closed-toe shoes are mandatory
Follow safety instructions in your manual and posted in laboratories
In case of fire, follow instructions posted outside the laboratory door
First aid kits, eye wash and fire extinguishers are located in or immediately outside each laboratory
As a precautionary measure, it is recommended that you have a current tetanus immunisation. This can be obtained from University Health Service: unihealth.usyd.edu.au/

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

AVBS3001: Agents of Disease

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect