Topics in Immunology

2.0 credits

Discussion and critique of recent advances related to the human gut microbiome and immunology. The specific areas that will be covered include: 1) intestinal microbiology and the microbiome with a major emphasis on the competition and cooperation within the microbiota that shapes community composition and function within the gut, 2) mucosal immunity with major emphasis on intestinal immunology and gut health, 3) competitive interactions within the microbiome that mediate bacterial colonization and development of inflammatory disease, 4) metabolites produced by the microbiome and their physiological and pathologic functions in health and disease, 5) the microbiome across the lifespan, from birth through the golden years, and 6) genetic identification and functional analysis of the microbiota community, with an emphasis on emerging experimental approaches and computational methods. Prerequisite: MBI 473 or equivalent