This assessment is an opportunity to research in further detail the application of assays based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) for specific bacterial pathogen detection in terms of diagnostic technology.

The application of these two assays to the clinical microbiology laboratory has revolutionized diagnosis in terms of speed and enhanced specificity. In this assessment you will choose one group of clinically significant bacteria for example, Staphylococci, Streptococci, Salmonella, E. coli, Pseudomonas (A complete list will be available on the Moodle site) and complete a 2500 word literature review on the application of PCR and MALDI-TOF technology in detection of these pathogens.

You will also be required to provide a background on the pathogenicity of your chosen bacterium and on the technical development of PCR and MALDI-TOF.

To achieve this you will need to:

1: Choose a specific bacterium from a list of clinically relevant bacteria which will be available on the Moodle site. If you are unsure of the suitability of your choice for this assessment, please consult with the unit coordinator. A comprehensive explanation of the defining features of each of the bacteria will be available through the learning materials provided during Week 2.

2: Research the literature relevant to your chosen bacterium. Scientific journal articles should form the basis for this literature search.

3: Prepare a 2500 literature review summarizing the application of both PCR and MALDI-TOF in detection of the bacterium protein, with appropriate citation to your sources of literature.

Provide a succinct introduction of the chosen microorganism and both techniques, covering all aspects relevant to both the disease/s and the organism responsible.   Cover all aspects of pathogenicity including important virulence factors, toxins etc. Provide a succinct description of the selected studies including the methods used, the results obtained. Contextualise the results and quality assurance data presented. Provide a detailed comparison of both techniques with a detailed discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of both techniques when compared to both each other and to both standard culture techniques and other assays used in diagnostic microbiology laboratories.

Student are permitted to use Generative AI for this assessment in the following ways: 

   - developing literature search strategies
   - compiling suitable literature sources and locating data
   - guidance for structuring the assignment

 If Generative AI is used in any way, it must be cited as per the CQU Guidelines (Academic Learning Centre).

If students choose to use generative AI, the following statement must be completed and included on the front page of the uploaded assessment: "I have used (insert technology) to (insert how you used this) in accordance with the requirements of this unit. The reason I used this was to (explain why you used it). The details of how I used it as (insert how). I hereby declare that the submission is an appropriate representation of my individual skills and abilities to meet the requirements of the task/s."

 As per academic writing requirements and assessment criteria; citations of information should be of the primary source (i.e statistics returned by AI must be fact-checked and referenced from their original source as well as the AI source). Failure to cite primary sources as well as AI sources could be considered breach of academic integrity.

Your use of Generative AI must be clearly outlined in an appendix as a separate file which includes the prompt used and Generative AI response (in line with marking rubric). Failure to include an appendix may result in academic integrity investigation. 

During this assessment students will work in pairs to present a recent high impact journal article (last 3 years) within the discipline of microbiology to the class at the residential school on the final day.  The presentation will incorporate information regarding aims, methods, outcomes and relevance to provide context to the paper's contribution to both the literature and to microbiology as a whole.

Students will work in pairs to prepare a 10 minute journal club presentation using a high impact paper in the field of microbiology from the past 3 years.  The presentation will provide:

• Introduce the topic of the chosen paper and cover the background material in sufficient detail to allow the audience to understand the entirety of the presented material (10 marks).
• Provides a detailed overview of the aims and hypotheses of the chosen paper (10 marks).
• Discuss the methods and the key outcome measures used with a description of why these measures were chosen (10 marks). 
• Provide a detailed explanation of the study outcomes and provide a strong reflection on how these outcomes met/did not meet the study aims (15 marks).
• Provide a thoughtful analysis of the study’s impact on the field of microbiology and/or clinical diagnostics.  Demonstrate the magnitude of this impact to the audience in a clear and concise way that allows them to understand the position of the research within the literature (25 marks).  
• Provide realistic and informed options for future research and/or how this current research could be impact laboratory diagnostics in human health (10 marks)
• Presentation (10 marks).  
• Contribution to presentation (10 marks).

Students will undertake laboratory analysis of case studies in clinical microbiology, designed to mimic true diagnostic microbiology laboratory cases. Students will be required to document their observations and findings in a laboratory workbook which will be provided on the Unit Moodle Site.  Criteria for the workbook assessment of the laboratory practical will also be available through Moodle.

Students will be assessed on their practicals skills including staining, biochemical testing and rapid testing techniques and assessed using through submission of their laboratory workbook.  Students require 50% of their total workbook score to pass.

This assessment item is an oral examination which is comprised of two parts. You complete this assessment via Zoom conferencing software and will require access to Zoom, a webcam and a microphone.

You will be required to answer:
Part A: 5 x short answer questions (to demonstrate memory recall). These questions will be worth 2 marks each = 10 marks; AND
Part B: 5 x longer answer questions (to demonstration interpretation of data/application). You will be presented with seven (7) questions and only need to choose only five (5). These questions will be worth 10 marks each = 40 marks. 

Presentation: 10 marks

Total Viva Voce is worth 60 marks.

Part A. This section relies on memory which is designed to contain short answer questions. Each of these questions will be worth two marks (5 questions x 2 marks = maximum of 10 marks)

Part B. This section relies on an interpretation and application of knowledge and contains longer questions. Each of these questions are worth 8 marks each with the breakdown of marks as follows.

Three key criteria will be marked in this assessment.

1. Relevance - The ability to deliver the correct answer(s) to the question in a comprehensive and succinct manner (worth 6/10 marks)

2. Coherence - The ability to logically sequence the response (worth 2/10 marks)

3. Overall organisation, expression and flow - Responses are well crafted and include a scientific/medical vocabulary. Responses are delivered in a confident manner using language targeted to a general audience. Responses are delivered with clear diction, appropriate volume and pace. (worth 2/10 marks)

Presentation: 10 marks