Unit of Study VETS2002 Applied Veterinary Microbiology (2026)

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Unit Snapshot

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit
Credit points

12
Faculty & College

Faculty of Science and Engineering
Placement

No

Pre-requisites

BIOL1005 - Cells and Molecules

Enrolment information

1. To pass the unit, students must submit all assessment tasks. 2. Attendance: It is important to recognise the relationship between attendance, participation, student success and retention. Please take advantage of all classes and engagement activities as it will increase your opportunity for learning, progression in the course, and success as a veterinarian or veterinary technologist. For units with practicals and other learning activities that directly relate to developing AVBC day one competencies that are required for veterinary accreditation, additionally VNCA day one competencies required for AVNAT registration, attendance is required. These will be identified within each unit and attendance requirements clearly communicated to students.

Unit description

This unit introduces students to the broad range of veterinary infectious agents and how they influence, in conjunction with the hosts’ immune system, health and disease in animals. Students will develop an appreciation for the diversity of pathogens across the major groupings: parasites; bacteria; viruses; prions; and fungi. Development of a foundational knowledge base of the biology, epidemiology, and pathogenic potential of the various infectious agents, will allow students to solve common problems in veterinary medicine. Students will be able to present examples to illustrate and contextualise their knowledge. A key learning outcome will also be to describe the basic functionality of the animal immune system, and how this interacts with the infectious agents to mediate disease response and recovery. Students will develop skills in applying knowledge to developing treatment, control and preventive strategies at the individual animal and population levels. This understanding will underpin their ability to assess and manage microbial risks in various veterinary settings, including animal housing, clinics, and laboratories and to apply biosecurity principles and manage Emergency Animal Diseases. It will also extend to One Health concepts, and how veterinarians also protect the health and wellbeing of humans and the environment. The unit will develop students’ proficiency in essential practical techniques. Students will learn how to obtain clinical specimens from animals, and apply methods for identifying bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses in an everyday clinical practice context.

Unit content

Introductory concepts
Parasites
Bacteria & Fungi
Viruses
Introductory immunology
Applied concepts and techniques

Availabilities

Location	Domestic	International
Lismore	Term2	Term2

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

explain the key structural, genetic, epidemiological, and virulence characteristics of the major microbe groups in the context of their pathogenic potential

extend how infectious agents interact with animals' immune systems, animal management, and environmental factors, to define health outcomes

apply foundational microbiological techniques to obtain clinical specimens from animals and identify common veterinary pathogens as a first step in infectious disease diagnosis

design preventative health programs for common domestic species through reflective practice and application of knowledge of common microbial pathogens and host responses.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching method

Tutorial 3 hours (Weekly)

Practical 3 hours (Weekly)

Assessment
Case study	40%
Case study	30%
Practical	30%

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts

Prescribed text information is not currently available.

Prescribed Resources/Equipment

Prescribed resources/equipment information is not currently available.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.

Fee information

Domestic

Commonwealth Supported courses
For information regarding Student Contribution Amounts please visit the Student Contribution Amounts.

Fee paying courses
For postgraduate or undergraduate full-fee paying courses please check Domestic Postgraduate Fees OR Domestic Undergraduate Fees.

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