COURSE OF STUDY

Candidates who have passed B. Sc. with 10+2+3 examination with any two of the following
subjects Botany, Zoology, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Chemistry, Industrial Microbiology, Life
Sciences and Environmental Sciences and secured at least 50% marks in aggregate, shall be
considered eligible for admission to M. Sc. Course in Applied Microbiology.* In addition, students who
have passed B.Sc. (Agriculture) shall also be eligible for admission to the course.
1.

There shall be four semesters, and each semester will have 22.5 credits.

2.

There shall be twelve core courses; each core course will have 4.5 credits (3 credits for theory and
1.5 credits for practical).

3.

Candidates will select a major elective course of 4.5 credits (3 credits for theory and 1.5 credits for
practical); options will be given for selecting the major elective course

4.

Candidates will select two minor elective courses that will be based on only theory; each course
will have 2 credits.

5.

The project work will be carried out by the students in the 3rd semester at BHU, any other
university or industry, and this would include submission of dissertation and viva voce
examination.

6.

The dissertation will be examined by the internal and external examiners who will also conduct
viva-voce examination.

7.

Assessment of seminar shall be done by a board of internal examiners.

8.

Candidates will have to carry out summer internship, at the end of the 2nd semester, in an industry,
BHU or any university or research institute for a period of at least one month. It will carry 4.5
credits.

The distribution of credits will be as follows:

Course
Theory paper of each core course (CC No. 1-12) @ 3 credits each
Practical paper of each core course (CC No. 1-12) @ 1.5 credits each
Theory paper of the Major Elective course (MJE No. 1) @ 3 credits
Practical paper of the Major Elective course (MJE No. 1) @ 1.5 credits
Theory paper of each Minor elective course (MIE No. 1-2) @ 2 credits each
Summer internship, and report thereof
Dissertation
Viva-voce examination (based on dissertation)
Seminar of students
Total credits

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Total Credits
36
18
3
1.5
4
4.5
14
4
5
90

COURSES
First Semester:
Core Course 1:
Core Course 2:
Core Course 3:
Core Course 4:
Core Course 5:

General Microbiology
Enzyme and Microbial Biotechnology
Microbial Physiology and Biochemistry
Microbial Genetics
Microbial Genomics

Second Semester:
Core Course 6:
Core Course 7:
Core Course 8:
Core Course 9:
Core Course 10:

Biochemical and Molecular Techniques and Bioinformatics

Immunology
Environmental Microbiology
Fermentation Technology
Medical Microbiology

Third Semester:
Project work
Summer internship

Dissertation
Viva-voce examination
Report of the work will be evaluated by external and internal examiners.

Fourth Semester:
Core Course 11:
Core Course 12:
Major Elective Course 1:
Minor Elective Course 1:
Minor Elective Course 2:
Seminar by students.

Agricultural Microbiology
Food and Dairy Microbiology
MJE1A or MJE 1B
MIE1A or MIE 1B
MIE2A or MIE 2B

CORE COURSES
CC-1 General Microbiology
History of Microbiology.
A brief idea of microbial diversity and scope of microbiology.
Position of microorganisms in the living world; a general idea of classification of microbes;
morphological, nutritional, biochemical and molecular criteria for the classification of bacteria (scheme
not required).
Nutritional types of microorganisms.
Structure of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria with special reference to cell membrane, cell
wall, flagella, capsule and slime, chromosome, ribosome, plasmid and endospores.
A brief account of genetic recombination in bacteria (transformation, conjugation and transduction).

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A general idea of structure of different kinds of viruses; structure of bacteriophages belonging to T

series.
Lytic cycle in T even phages and its regulation; lysogeny and its regulation in lambda phage; a brief
account of viroids and prions.
CC-2 Enzyme and Microbial Biotechnology
Enzymes from microbial sources, large scale production of enzymes, recovery of enzymes, enzyme
purification methods - enzyme precipitation, separation by chromatography, enzyme reactors.
Immobilized enzymes: Physical and chemical methods of immobilization, immobilization supports,
kinetics of immobilized enzymes.
Enzyme catalysis in apolar medium, reverse micellar entrapment of enzymes and their applications.
Applications of enzymes: Fundamental studies of biochemistry, synthesis of chemicals using enzymes,
applications in industry, food technology and medicine.
Enzymes in diagnostic assays.
Enzyme electrodes, immunoenzyme techniques.
Commercial products of microbes, antibiotics, biopolymers, biosensors, biopesticides.
Production of biofuels.
Microbial toxins: Types, biochemical and molecular basis of toxin production, implications.
Genetically engineered microbes and their potential application, anti-HIV, anticancer, antibiotic,
antifungal, antiplasmodial, anti-inflammatory and pesticidal compounds.
Production of alcoholic beverages.
CC3: Microbial Physiology and Biochemistry
Overview : Scope and importance
Structure and function of biomolecules: Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids
Enzymes: Characteristics, Co-enzymes, Ribozymes; kinetics - M-M equation, determination of Km and
Vmax using different plots; mechanism of action - binding of substrate and lowering of activation
energy, covalent catalysis, acid- base catalysis; regulation - general concepts, allosteric regulation,
covalent modifications.
Metabolism: General concepts - application of second law of thermodynamics, redox potential and free
energy charge of the reactions, ATP as high energy phosphate compound; outline of intermediary
metabolism; catabolism - anaerobic and aerobic respiration, Glycolysis, TCA cycle, ETS and oxidative
phosphorylation, anabolism - principles governing biosynthesis, bacterial photosynthesis, assimilation of
sulphur, phosphorus and nitrogen.
Biochemical basis of actions of antimicrobial agents.
CC-4 Microbial Genetics
Nucleic Acids: Structure, physical and chemical properties of DNA and RNA, extra-chromosomal
DNA- profile, function and evolution.
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DNA replication, damage and repair, spontaneous and induced mutation, reversion of mutation.
Transposition: Structure of transposons, replicative and non-replicative transposition, transposon
mutagenesis.
Genetic recombination; Molecular models and mechanism, Gene conversion.
Gene expression and regulation: Operons and regulons, repression and activation of Lac operon, feed
back inhibition and regulation of virulence genes in pathogenic bacteria.
Signal transduction in response to nutrient, temperature and light and its role, construction of DNA
libraries, cloning and expression of a gene.
Use of microbes in genetic engineering.
CC-5 Microbial Genomics
Tools for studying DNA/Genes: Enzymes for DNA manipulation, construction of genomic DNA
libraries, cloning, molecular tagging, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), sequence tagged site
(STS) mapping, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE).
Microbial Genomes: Size, genome analysis, gene duplication and genomic mapping.
Mapping of Microbial Genome: Molecular markers as tool for mapping, restriction fragment length
polymorphism (RFLPs), randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), simple sequence length
polymorphism (SSLPs), single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP), amplified fragment length
polymorphism (AFLP), and construction of a linkage map.
Structural and Functional Genomics: Physical structure of microbial genome; basis to gene function and
regulation; usefulness of proteomics; entire genome expression analysis- microarrays, expressed
sequence tags (EST), single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and serial analysis of gene expression
(SAGE).
CC-6 Biochemical and Molecular Techniques and Bioinformatics
Electrophoresis: Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), agarose gel electrophoresis, native PAGE,
SDS-PAGE, 2D electrophoresis.
Isoelectric focusing (IEF): Principles, kinds of pH gradients used in IEF- free carrier ampholytes,
immobilized pH gradients, preparative IEF.
Blotting: Principles, types of blotting, blotting membranes, immunoblotting - Southern, Northern,
Western and Dot blots.
Isolation and purification: (a) genomic and plasmid DNA, (b) RNA, (c) proteins.
Amplification of DNA: Introduction, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).
DNA sequencing: Various methods of DNA sequencing.
Gene silencing: RNA interference (RNAi).
Chromatography: Paper, capillary, column, HPLC, GLC- basic concept.
Basic concept of spectrophotometer and electron microscope.
Concept and application of bioinformatics.
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CC 7: Immunology
Introduction to immune system: Innate and adaptive immune responses; Cells and organs of immune
system; hematopoiesis; Antigens, haptens, adjuvants immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies; B
and T cell interaction.
Antigen antibody interactions and its applications.
Immunoglobulin and TCR genes and generation of diversity: Organization of Immunoglobulin genes;
V(D)J rearrangements; somatic hypermutation and affinity maturation; immunoglobulin gene expression
and its regulation; organization of TCR genes and mechanisms of diversity.
Major histocompatibility complex: Generation of humoral and cellular immune responses and effector
mechanisms; antigen processing and presentation; immunological memory; complement system; action
of cytotoxic T lymphocytes; Natural killer cells, ADCC.
Immunological tolerance.
Immunology in health and disease, autoimmunity, immunodeficiencies vaccines; concept of
immunotherapy.
CC-8 Environmental Microbiology
Definition and scope of environmental microbiology.
Aeromicrobiology : Microorganisms in air, nature of bioaerosols, their fate and transport, extramural
aerobiology: Agriculture, waste disposal, intramural aerobiology : buildings, spaceflight, hospitals and
labs.
Microbes in soil and subsurface, surface and deepsoil environments, microbes as the source of clean
energy.
Microbes in aquatic and extreme environments, freshwater, brackishwater, marine water and
subterranean, thermophiles, barophiles, acidophiles, alkalophiles, psychrophiles.
Biogeochemical cycling: carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycle.
Microorganisms in removal of organic and metal pollutants, biodegradation, bioremediation,
bioaugmentation.
Wastewater treatment methods including oxidation ponds, treatment of solid wastes, concept of
indicator organism.
CC-9 Fermentation Technology
An introduction to fermentation processes- Range of fermentation process, microbial biomass, microbial
enzyme, microbial metabolites, transformation processes, chronological development of fermentation
industry.
Microbial growth kinetics- Batch culture, continuous culture, industrial applications of continuous
culture processes, fed-batch culture. mass and energy transfer in fermentative process.
The isolation, preservation and improvement of industrial microorganisms Isolation of industrially
important microorganisms, preservation and improvement of industrially useful microorganisms.
Media for industrial fermentation- typical media, media formulation, water, energy sources, carbon
sources, nitrogen sources, minerals, vitamin sources, nutrient recycle, buffers, precursors and metabolic
regulators, oxygen requirement.
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Sterilization of air and media- Media sterilization, batch and continuous media sterilization processes,
sterilization of fermenter, sterilization of the feeds, sterilization of air, theory of fibrous filters, filter
design.
The development of inocula for industrial fermentation- development of inocula for yeast processes,
development of inocula for bacterial processes, development of inocula for fungal processes,
development of inocula for streptomycete processes, the aseptic inoculation of plant fermenters
Design of a fermenter- Basic functions of a fermenter, construction, aeration and agitation, baffles, the
achievement and maintenance of aseptic conditions, valves, other fermentation vessels.
Aeration and agitation- The oxygen requirements of industrial fermentation processes, determination of
KLa, factors affecting KLa, fluid rheology.
Instrumentation and control- Control systems, manual, automatic, methods of measurements of process
variables, flow, temperature, pressure, agitator shaft power, foam sensing and control, measurement and
control of dissolved oxygen, on-line analysis of process parameters, computer control of fermenters.
CC-10 Medical Microbiology
General topics on Medical Microbiology: History, Kochs postulates, microbiology and medicine,
classification of medically important bacteria; infection - source, modes of transmission, portal of entry
into the susceptible host, prevention; bacterial pathogenicity; identification of bacteria - staining
methods, culture methods, biochemical tests, other recent methods; sterilization and disinfection; normal
microbial flora; antimicrobial agents, drug resistance and drug sensitivity test.
Systematic Microbiology: Diseases caused by Gram positive cocci - sore throat, pneumonia etc.;
diseases caused by Gram negative cocci - meningitis, gonorrhea; diseases caused by Gram positive
bacilli - tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, gas gangrene etc.; diseases caused by Gram negative bacteria
of family Enterobacteriaceae - enteric fever, bacillary dysentery, UTI etc.; diseases caused by other
Gram negative bacilli - cholera, plague, whooping cough, wound infection, septicemia etc.; sexually
transmitted diseases; diseases caused by mycoplasma, chlamydia, rickettsia; overview of medical
mycology - important fungal diseases; overview of medical parasitology - important protozoal and
helmenthic diseases; overview of medical virology - important viral diseases; bacteriology of water,
milk and air; opportunistic infections.
Immunoprophylaxis.
CC-11 Agricultural Microbiology
Soil microorganisms in agroecosystems: Types of microbial communities; soil microbial diversity:
significance and conservation; effect of agricultural practices on soil organisms.
Biological nitrogen-fixation: The range of nitrogen fixing organisms; mechanism of nitrogen fixation
(biochemistry of nitrogenase); genetics of nitrogen-fixation; Rhizobium-Legume Association;
Symplasmids, N2 fixation by non-leguminous plants.
Chemical transformation by microbes: Organic matter decomposition, nutrient mineralization and
immobilization; transformation of carbon and carbon compounds; availability of phosphorus, sulfur, iron
and trace elements to plants; biodegradation of herbicides and pesticides.
Biofertilizer: Mass cultivation of microbial inoculants; green manuring; algalization; Azolla.
Microbial products and plant health: PGPR (plant growth promoting rhizobacteria); significance of
mycorrhizae; toxin producing microbes (antibiotics, aflatoxin, etc.); microbial herbicides; biological
control.
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CC-12 Food and Dairy Microbiology

Production of fermented food items - butter, cheese, vinegar and bakeries.
Mushroom cultivation technology and single cell protein
Composition of milk; microbiological examination of milk and milk products - sources and types of
microorganisms and their control.
Legal standards of milk and milk products, grading of milk and certified milk, microbiology of lactic
cultures, dairy products manufactured with the aid of microorganisms; fermented milk, dry milk,
sweetened condensed milk and ice cream.
Microbial spoilage of food products including cereals, fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, canned food, pickles
and dairy products.
Food poisoning and microbial toxins in stored food and dairy products and bioassay methods.
Principles of food preservatives and their uses.

MAJOR ELECTIVES
MJE-1A Microbiology of Wastewater
Composition of domestic and industrial wastewater
Pathogenic and non-pathogenic microbes in wastewater
Role of microbes in biomonitoring of water quality indicator organisms, single species laboratory
bioassays, biosensors
A brief idea of various stages of wastewater treatment
Trickling filter microbial community, design, operation
Activated sludge microbial community, design, operation
Oxidation pond high rate and facultative ponds
Anaerobic treatment of wastewater and sludge, and methane production
Use of microbes for removing toxic metal ions from wastewater mechanisms, sorption and desorption,
batch and continuous systems
MJE-1B Useful Microorganisms
Biology, cultivation and commercial application of the following microorganisms:
Yeasts
Spirulina
Chlorella
Dunaliella
Rhizobium
Bacillus thuringiensis
Mushrooms
Mycorrhiza
Stremptomyces
Trichoderma
NPVs (Nulcear Polyhedrosis Viruses) as insecticides.
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MINOR ELECTIVES
MIE-1A Cyanobacterial Biotechnology
Mass cultivation of cyanobacteria under outdoor and indoor conditions.
Cyanobacteria as a source of fine chemicals, polysaccharides, bioactive molecules, pigments,
antioxidants, lipids and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Cyanobacteria as biofertilizer for paddy cultivation.
Hydrogen production by cyanobacteria: Mechanism, progress and prospects.
MIE-1B Microbial Biogeochemistry
The role of microbes in biosphere: microbes and the origin and evolution of life on earth; the impact of
microbial communities on humans and the environment.
Structure and organization of microbial communities: development of microbial communities;
mechanisms for positioning cells; scales of distance; defining limits of microbial communities.
Exploration and quantification of the microbial diversity: Cultivation and non-cultivation approaches;
complementarity between cultivation and non-cultivation approaches; the relevance of classical
taxonomy of the postgenomic era; role of genomics in higher order classification.
Microbial crusts: Characteristics and formation; composition; functions; response to disturbance.
Microbial aspects of biogeochemical cycling of C, N, P and S.
Survival strategies of microbes in extreme habitats.
Microbial mediation of dissolution and precipitation of economically important minerals.
Use of microbes in bioremediation of contaminated environment.
MIE-2A Microbial Diversity: Monitoring and Management
The microbial world: Major domains and their general characteristics
General concepts regarding biodiversity: Definition, theories related with diversity, diversity indices.
Monitoring microbial diversity: Structural, genetic and physiological diversity, species concept in
microbial world.
General trends of microbial diversity and controlling factors.
Microbial diversity and ecosystem function-theories/hypotheses and experimental results.
Management and exploitation of microbial diversity.
MIE-2B Biofertilizer Technology
Evolution of diazotrophs, adaptive potential, occurrence.
Free living: Photosynthetic cyanobacteria and bacteria, non-photosynthetic forms.
Symbiosis: Endo- and associate symbiosis.
Enzymes and their regulation: Nitrogenase, hydrogenase
Biofertilizers and agricultural productivity: Algalization, rhizobia, Azolla-Anabaena system.

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