Tamil Nadu HSE First Year Microbiology study plan

Label a hand-drawn bacterial cell diagram with capsule, cell wall, plasma membrane, flagella, pili, ribosomes, nucleoid and plasmid, and state one function for each structure

Distinguish Gram-positive from Gram-negative cell envelopes by listing the peptidoglycan arrangement, teichoic acid presence and outer membrane in a comparison table

Sequence the contributions of Leeuwenhoek, Pasteur, Koch, Jenner, Fleming and Winogradsky, matching each name to one specific discovery and the year

Classify fungi, algae and protozoa by their defining cellular features (eukaryotic, cell wall composition, motility, nutrition mode)

Describe the size range and structural categories of viruses (capsid symmetry, envelope, nucleic acid type) and explain why they are not cells

Define and give one worked example each for autotroph, heterotroph, phototroph, chemotroph, auxotroph and fastidious organism

Calculate generation time from a two-point viable count using the formula n = (log Nt - log N0)/0.301 and apply it to a worked doubling problem

Compare batch and continuous growth curves, labelling lag, log, stationary and death phases and stating what limits growth in each

Describe the composition of nutrient agar, MacConkey agar and selective enrichment broth, and explain what each medium selects for

Explain how temperature, pH, osmotic pressure and oxygen classes (obligate aerobe, anaerobe, facultative, microaerophile) control growth, with one organism example per class

Build a pathogen table covering at least 15 organisms with Gram reaction or group, disease caused, portal of entry, key virulence factor and one laboratory identification test

Explain the steps of bacterial pathogenesis: adherence, invasion, toxin production, immune evasion and transmission route, using named examples

Describe the mechanisms of innate defence (skin barrier, mucus and cilia, phagocytosis, inflammation, fever, complement) and identify which cells mediate each

Compare primary and secondary immune responses and describe the roles of IgM, IgG, IgA, IgE and IgD

Outline active versus passive immunity and the principle of vaccine types (live attenuated, killed, toxoid, subunit) with one example each

Distinguish sterilisation, disinfection, antisepsis and sanitisation and match each term to an appropriate application

Compare moist heat (autoclave), dry heat, filtration, radiation and ethylene oxide by mechanism, typical parameters and one material each is suited to

Explain how an autoclave reaches 121 degrees Celsius at 15 psi and describe three practical reasons a load can fail to sterilise

Classify disinfectants (alcohols, phenolics, halogens, quaternary ammonium compounds, aldehydes) by spectrum and main limitation

List the standard laboratory safety rules for handling cultures, spills, sharps and hand hygiene at school or home bench level

Describe the structure of DNA and RNA and explain semi-conservative replication, transcription and translation in correct sequence

Distinguish transformation, conjugation and transduction, naming the vector or mechanism and one classic experiment for each

Explain mutation types (point, frameshift, deletion) and give one consequence of each for the protein produced

Describe the lac operon as an example of gene regulation and explain induction and repression

Outline recombinant DNA basics: restriction enzymes, ligase, plasmid vector and selection of transformants

Explain the role of microorganisms in nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification and decomposition, naming one genus for each process

Describe sewage treatment stages (primary, secondary activated sludge, tertiary) and what each stage removes

Explain biogas and alcohol fermentation with substrate, organism and product for each

Classify food spoilage organisms by food type and state three preservation methods with the principle behind each

Describe the steps of curd and yoghurt formation, naming the starter organisms and the chemical change involved

Write out the steps of Gram staining, endospore staining and simple staining, including timing, reagents and expected colour results

Describe aseptic transfer technique, streak plate method and how to read colony morphology on a plate

Explain how to record observations in a laboratory notebook and how to interpret a negative result

Perform a full revision pass of domain 7 by re-testing 10 pathogens from the week 3 table without notes

Identify common errors in streaking, staining and incubation and state the correction for each

Complete two full-length timed mock papers under exam conditions and mark them against the syllabus checklist

Rank all ten domains by mock score and re-study the two weakest using condensed notes and flashcards

Recite from memory the key definitions, formulas and named discoveries most likely to appear in one-mark questions

Review the pathogen table, sterilisation table and process summary sheet one final time for accuracy