Passing requirements: 

Students MUST pass practical work (= lab assessments) to pass the course.

 

There will be 5 laboratory assessments spread throughout this laboratory course. Successful completion of each exercise will count 1 - 3% towards your final grade, as below.  

 

You will be told, at the start of each laboratory, which exercises will be assessed and what each will entail.  Further information will be provided during the laboratory. Your mark for each task will appear on CANVAS within two weeks after completion of that laboratory.  While some of the questions asked in laboratory exercises are not assessed, they nevertheless may be examined in the mid-semester test and final examination.

 

Assessments 1, 2, 4 & 5: 3% each

Assessment 3: 1% 

Assessment 6: 2% 

 

Note: This is the weighting for assessments within 2025, it might change depending on the course director and co-ordinator. 

 

Course Review

Medsci202 is an engaging and rewarding stage 2 MEDSCI paper that prides itself on the enjoyable practical labs. The course teaches students about the core principles and concepts underpinning microbiology and immunology. Within this course, you will learn about the nature and roles of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites as agents of causation for human diseases, whilst learning how the human body defends against such foreign microbes. Unlike other MEDSCI papers, Medsci202 has two mid-semester tests that are fully MCQ (multiple-choice questions), whilst the final exam is all SAQs (short-answer questions). 

This course was quite content-heavy; however, all the information presented is clear and very interesting. To do well in this course, students must stay on top of the content and prepare as early as possible to gain a satisfactory grade. 

 

 

Content 

 

Lectures 1 - 6 

 

Professor Thomas Proft guides you through the first set of lectures where you will learn about the basic fundamentals of microbiology. These lectures will cover how we classify different microbes through different diagnostic techniques, alongside the history and application of antibiotics for different bacterial infections and subsequent diseases. From my personal experience these lectures are not difficult to understand conceptually, however, the volume of content that you will encounter and are expected to memorise is large, thus, my recommendation is to start creating summary sheets or flashcard decks as early as possible. It is essential to not fall behind on content within this course as the volume of information you have to learn can get overwhelming quickly. 

 

Important topics: 

• Microbial pathogenesis (particularly between Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes) 

• Relationship between microbiological pathogens and antibiotics. 

• Different types of antibiotics and how they work against bacteria. 

• Microbial Diagnostics. 

• Staphylococci + the different diseases it causes (mainly Staphylococcus Aureus) 

• Streptococci + the different diseases it causes (mainly Streptococcus Pyogenus) 

 

Lectures 7- 9 

 

Lectures 7-9 introduced the main topics: Diarrheal diseases, Urinary tract infections, and the basic principles of Mycology. Guided by Professor Simon Swift, these sets of lectures are presented in a style different from the traditional lecture format. In 2025, these lectures were delivered online to students first, with the expectation that they would watch the assigned lectures before class, as Professor Swift would hold a tutorial on them. In these lectures, students would review practice exam questions and receive a general summary of the essential topics/examinable content from Professor Swift. 

 

Important topics: 

• Major causes of diarrhoeal disease in New Zealand. 

• Examples of Diarrhoeal Disease (Campylobacteriosis, Clostridiodes Difficile, Cholera) 

• Tests for identifying/diagnosing the bacteria responsible for Diarrhoeal disease. 

• Common Urinary Tract Infections and how they are acquired. 

• Major classes of diseases due to moulds and yeasts

• Main cellular properties of yeasts and moulds. 

• Treatment and prevention strategies for diseases and infections explored. 

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Lectures 10 - 12 

 

Lectures 10 -12  are given by Professor Souxie Wiles, whose 3 lectures give an in depth review of the epidemiology of infectious diseases alongside STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and tuberculosis. In my experience these lectures are not difficult to grasp but are difficult in regards to the volume of content which for the majority of this course is the only challenge. 

 

Important topics: 

• Factors which determine the epidemiology of infectious diseases. 

• Epidemiology of the West African Ebola Outbreak. 

• Epidemiology of various STIs: chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis. 

• Epidemiology of TB (Tuberculosis) and the mechanism of infection by mycobacterium tuberculosis. 
   

Lectures 13 - 17 

 

The following series of lectures is known to be one of the more difficult sections of the course as you explore in depth the fundamental concepts and principles of immunology. Ensure you focus your attention on the highlighted concepts - such as adaptive vs innate immunity and the mechanisms of T-Cells and B-Cells. Professor Scott Graham is a wonderful and enthusiastic lecturer who loves his diagrams, especially as questions in the final exam or MCQs.  

 

Important topics: 

• Immune system - how it works and functions, alongside important defence mechanisms and structures. 

• Antibodies and T - Cell mediated immunity (mechanisms and the different ABs). 

• T cells and B Cells 

• Host - Micro-organism relationships (Covers lymphatic system, cardinal signs of infection, host response to infection). 

• Immune regulation (How do T cells regulate the immune response). 

 

Lectures 18 - 22 

 

Professor Nikki Moreland takes this series of lectures to introduce more immunological ideas and topics, some of which are not novel such as Host-Micro-organism relationships, infection and immunity, and Hypersensitivity. Despite these familiar topics, this series of lectures are just as intense and interesting as the previous immunology lectures given by Scott Graham. Key topics to look out for within these lectures are immunological disorders and deficiencies alongside immunisation techniques and its history. 

 

Important topics: 

• Immune Deficiencies and immunological disorders. 

• Infection and immunity - sequence of events that occurs during a bacterial infection. 

• Mechanisms of immune tolerance 

• Autoimmunity, what are the major autoimmune diseases and methods of treatment. 

• Immune deficiencies (Primary vs Secondary) 

• Immunisation 

 

Lectures 23 - 30

 

Aside from the 1st lecture which is on Virology given by Professor Thomas Proft, the rest of the lectures in this series are given by Professor Mark Thomas who covers a variety of interesting diseases and infections. I personally found Professor Mark Thomas’s lectures to be entertaining and fascinating, particularly due to the focus on the different diseases and methods of treatment. In addition to this one of my favourite lectures would be infections in clinical practice as Professor Mark Thomas talked about scenarios in the hospital and held a tutorial-like format where the questions asked are clinical scenarios. 

 

Important topics: 

• Virology (Virus structure, pathogenesis of viruses, classification of viruses) 

• Antiviral Therapies 

• Respiratory Viruses (RTIs and common sites where infection occur) 

• Herpes Virus 

• Hepatitis B 

• Parasitology (Protozoal diseases) 

• Nosocomial infections and different methods of hygiene, sterilisation and disinfection. 

• How infections occur in clinical practices.

 

Laboratories

 

In Medsci202 an important aspect of this course is the practical lab components where it is a requirement to attend all the labs and pass the given lab assignments. There are a total of 8 practical labs, which occur weekly. In contrast to the practical labs there are a total of 6 lab assignments that total to 15% of your final grade. It is essential that you do your best for all of the lab assignments as they are assessed online and should be a good source for marks.