Curricular guidelines promote standardized approaches to coverage of essential knowledge and skills in undergraduate education. The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Microbiology were developed in 2012. Continuous, rapid growth of knowledge in science and a dynamic, changing world necessitate updates to these guidelines. As such, ASM formed a task force in the summer of 2022. The task force assessed the 2012 ASM Curriculum Guidelines considering advancements in technology, an understanding of an expanded role of microbes, and a broader scope addressing relevant social and environmental aspects of microbiology. Language in the updated guidelines was also modified to better include eukaryotic microbes, viruses, and other acellular microbes. The task force formed working groups, each aimed at revising specific sections of the 2012 ASM Curriculum Guidelines. The revisions to the ASM Curriculum Guidelines were reviewed by subject matter experts and education stakeholders. Feedback from this peer review was incorporated into the updated guidelines, and further comments were solicited from the ASM Conference of Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE) attendees in November 2023 before these guidelines were finalized. In this article, we describe the rationale and development of updated ASM Curriculum Guidelines which identify foundational concepts that will serve to improve microbial literacy and that can be expanded upon to address more advanced and specialized topics.

The management dilemma of use versus protection is a complex issue , and like most complex issues , it does not lend itself to a simple or simplistic solution. This dissertation research examined the connection between integrative complexity , value orientations , and attitudes toward coastal resource use and protection. These are important topics within the human dimensions of coastal resources management that can help us understand the cognitive processes people use when thinking about acceptable tradeoffs regarding the biophysical environment and use of that environment. Integrative complexity is a concept that indicates the simplicity versus complexity of a person's thinking process. A person who perceives nuance and subtle differences typically scores higher on an integrative complexity measure , whereas those who view the world as black and white score low on integrative complexity. The limited research into the linkages between integrative complexity and components of the cognitive hierarchy , as applied to coastal resource management , inspired this research. Florida-licensed recreational saltwater anglers were sent an online questionnaire. Of the three quantitative integrative complexity measures that were developed , the self-classification vignettes best segmented the anglers into low to high levels of integrative complexity. These integrative complexity levels were used in hypothesis testing. Based on the literature , it was hypothesized that higher integrative complexity thinkers would hold pluralistic value orientations , moderate attitude extremity , and higher acceptability of tradeoffs between use and protection. While much of the results showed mixed support for the alternative hypotheses , there were consistent patterns in the direction of value orientations , attitudes and acceptability of tradeoffs across integrative complexity levels. Overall , high integrative complexity anglers demonstrated ecocentric value orientations , more support for protection-oriented management actions , and higher acceptability for tradeoffs involving an increase in resource protection. Low integrative complexity anglers demonstrated relatively more anthropocentric value orientations , more support for use-oriented management actions , and higher acceptability for tradeoffs involving an increase in resource use.

Review of: The Panic Virus. A True Story of Medicine, Science and Fear; Seth Mnookin; (2011). Simon and Schuster, New York, NY. 427 pages.

Bacteriophage are among the most diverse and numerous microbes inhabiting our planet. Yet many laboratory activities fail to engage students in meaningful exploration of their diversity, unique characteristics, and abundance. In this curriculum activity students use a standard plaque assay to enumerate bacteriophage particles from a natural sample and use the scientific method to address questions about host specificity and diversity. A raw primary sewage sample is enriched for bacteriophage using hosts in the family Enterobacteriaceae. Students hypothesize about host specificity and use quantitative data (serial dilution and plaque assay) to test their hypotheses. Combined class data also help them answer questions about phage diversity. The exercise was field tested with a class of 47 students using pre- and posttests. For all learning outcomes posttest scores were higher than pretest scores at or below p = 0.01. Average individualized learning gain (G) was also calculated for each learning outcome. Students’ use of scientific language in reference to bacteriophage and host interaction significantly improved (p = 0.002; G = 0.50). Improved means of expression helped students construct better hypotheses on phage host specificity (G = 0.31, p = 0.01) and to explain the plaque assay method (G = 0.33, p = 0.002). At the end of the exercise students also demonstrated improved knowledge and understanding of phage specificity as related to phage therapy in humans (p < 0.001; G = 51).

These three activities have students work in groups to address a quantitative approach to experimental design and sampling. Adequate consideration of these issues is necessary to ensure microbial ecology experiments represent microbiology in real world. In the first exercise students sample a simple community (composed of classroom materials), evaluate how much sampling is necessary, and quantify diversity using Simpson's index. The second activity is a simulated sampling exercise emphasizing spatial organization of microbes in the environment and its relationship to sampling methods. The third exercise addresses experimental design with an emphasis on designing correctly replicated experiments.

The goal of animal nutrition is the provision of nutrients in sufficient amounts to permit optimal growth and reproduction, as well as reduction of nutrient-related health risks. These consequences are interrelated, since impaired growth and reproduction are often early signs of dietary imbalance. Only in cases of severe or prolonged dietary imbalance are frank deficiency signs normally encountered. Unfortunately, nutrient deficiency is not unusual in captive green iguanas. For example, metabolic bone disease is a commonly seen problem that may be related to inadequate dietary calcium, inverse calcium:phosphorus ratios, and/or low intakes of dietary vitamin Dg (cholecalciferol). Inadequate exposure to ultraviolet-B hght (UV-B; 280-320 nm) plays an especially critical role in green iguanas. Another problem thought to relate to nutrient intake is visceral and/or articular gout entailing the deposition of uric acid in soft tissues and in joints, respectively. Since uric acid is the principal nitrogenous waste product in terrestrial reptiles such as iguanas, it has been suggested that pathologic deposition of urates outside the urinary tract may be a consequence of excessive nitrogen loads, perhaps coupled with an increase in blood solutes during dehydration and impaired renal function. Digestive disorders, including bloat, diarrhea, and torsion, may also reflect inappropriate diet, especially if iguanas are fed diets of such low fiber content that hindgut fermentation is abnormal. Intestinal blockages that occurred in juvenile Galapagos land iguanas {Conolophus subcristatusY were believed to be due to excessive but infrequent feeding of fibrous plant material, and the same may occur in green iguanas. Most of the descriptions of nutrient deficiencies or toxicoses in zoo and exotic animals come from clinical case studies. This is true for mammals and birds as well as for reptiles.^-s Yet few experimental studies have tested the effects of specific nutrients on reptiles, including iguanas, and the diagnosis of deficiency or toxicosis is typically based on analogous pathologic findings for domestic mammals or birds. There is great risk of error in this approach, especially when a detailed evaluation of nutrient intakes is not undertaken. For example, the assertion that excessive amounts of dog or cat food will produce soft tissue mineralization in reptiles due to high vitamin D levels^ faüs to recognize that most dry dog and cat foods are not particularly high in vitamin D (being lower than many products marketed specifically for reptiles), that soft tissue mineralization may be associated with vitamin D deficiency rather than toxicity, and that the greatest cause of vitamin D deficiency may be a lack of UV-B light exposure, rather than dietary vitamin D levels (see discussion below). We are not aware of any controlled studies indicating that dog or cat foods are harmful to reptiles per se. Anecdotally, two Chinese box turtles (Cuora flavomarginata) in our care have been fed a diet of canned cat food (with small amounts of fruit) for 3 years to determine if they would develop signs of nutrient deficiency or toxicity, but so far both appear normal. In this chapter we review the importance of nutrients such as protein, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D. These may often be imbalanced in the diets fed to green iguanas by pet owners or zoo keepers and may be associated with clinical problems. The importance of ultraviolet light for vitamin D synthesis is also discussed. Unfortunately, relatively few scientific studies have addressed these issues, and most of the data are buried in conference reports and theses, or have yet to be published. We hope that the synthesis of this information will be helpful in the

Captive primates housed indoors with little access to ultraviolet light have historically been susceptible to metabolic bone disease. The trend in zoological parks toward building large, indoor exhibits has potentially exacerbated this problem. Most skylight materials are not transparent to the wavelengths of ultraviolet light (UV-B) necessary for endogenous production of vitamin D. It is possible that most primates, like humans, produce milk that is low in vitamin D. Thus mother-reared infants without exposure to UV-B would be at risk for rickets. The incidence of metabolic bone disease in callitrichids has been greatly reduced by the addition of large amounts of vitamin D3 to their diet. However, metabolic bone disease still occurs in these primates. Nowadays, osteomalacia in callitrichids is generally found in multiparous females, often occurring during pregnancy. This might reflect the dominance of reproductive females over other group members. Dominant animals often consume a higher proportion of preferred supplemental foods, which can be deficient in vitamin D. However, vitamin D metabolism is poorly understood in New World monkeys. Thus it is possible that dietary vitamin D is not an effective method to meet the requirements of these animals under all conditions. We found wide variation in the serum levels of 25-0H-vitamin D within a colony of common marmosets even though all animals were maintained on a single-item purified diet with a constant level of vitamin D3 (3000 IU/kg). We are currently testing the efficacy of a low wattage UV light source on these animals.

This study examines the state of the art in master's nursing education in the United States in light of projected national trends in the health care delivery system. The specific questions addressed are: What are the general characteristics of master's programs, including admission requirements and prerequisites, program requirements, major and minor areas of clinical concentration, functional role preparation, and career mobility options? What is the curricular organization, particularly with respect to required core courses? Is there a difference between master's programs in schools with a doctoral program in nursing and those with master's programs only? Is there a difference between master's programs with public support and master's programs with private support? Data were collected from 175 accredited master's programs in 1990. Study results and the projected trends derived from Nursing's Agenda for Health Care Reform, Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives, and Healthy America: Practitioners for 2005 provide the foundation for recommendations. Recommendations are organized around communication and curricular issues that master's nursing education needs to address as the profession approaches the 21st century.

Insects used in zoo feeding programs are poor sources of calcium (Ca) and have inverse calcium : phosphorus (Ca:P) ratios. An experiment was conducted to determine if feeding diets high in dietary Ca to adult crickets would cause an increase in whole-body Ca content. Experimental diets were formulated to contain 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12% Ca and were provided to the crickets for 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hr. Crickets were analyzed for dry matter, Ca, and phosphorus. Dietary treatment and duration of treatment were found to have significant effects on Ca content and Ca:P ratio of crickets, but not on P content. The Ca content and Ca:P ratio of crickets increased during the initial period of feeding, but after 48 hr these mineral levels remained stable. Calcium content and Ca:P ratio of crickets were a function of dietary Ca, reaching maximal values of 1.4% and 1.7:1, respectively, when diets containing 12% Ca were fed. Radiographs revealed radiopaque material in the gastrointestinal tracts (GIT) of most crickets fed diets high in calcium (8, 10, or 12% Ca) but not in the GIT of crickets fed diets low in calcium. It is concluded that in order to obtain crickets with a Ca:P ratio of 1:1 or higher it is necessary to feed diets containing at least 8% Ca. Other factors which might influence the calcium content of crickets are discussed.

Maintenance energy (ME)requirements have been determined for the domestic cat, Felis silvestris catus, but not for larger felids. To determine if the domestic cat represents an appropriate model for studies with larger species, we measured digestive efficiency and digestible energy intakes in cats of different body sizes (body mass range: 15-195 kg)which included clouded leopard, Neofelis nebulosa (n = 9), cheetah, Acinonyxjubatus n = 6), Sumatran tiger, Panthera tigris sumatrae (n =4), lion, Panthera leo (n = 4)and Bengal/Siberian tiger, Panthera tigris tigris/Panthera tigris altaica (n = 2). Measurements were repeated seasonally. We found marked variation in crude protein (CP) and fat concentrations on a dry matter basis both among (44.9-57.7% CP; 22.2- 32% fat, n = 10) and within (48.7-59.1 % CP; 22.9-34.8% fat, n = 28) lots of one of the two commercial diets fed to cats. The apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and energy of one frozen, meat- based diet did not differ among species or seasons. A second diet fed to some clouded leopards was less digestible. The ME intakes of tigers and cheetahs were considerably higher than was predicted based on that of the domestic cat, and when compared to those of lions and clouded leopards. The ME requirement of clouded leopards may be influenced by age. We hypothesize that the inter-specific differences reflect variation in metabolic rates and in energy expenditures which may be a consequence of different feeding strategies and predatory behaviors.

Streptococcus Lancefield Group C (Strep C) bacteria is a known causative agent of pharyngitis. It is known to rarely cause disease in humans but can colonize certain parts of the body including the skin, the newborn umbilicus and other mucosal surfaces like the nose, throat and vagina. The most common reservoirs of Strep C are milk, livestock and other infected humans and it is most commonly transmitted through direct contact with an infected human or non-human host, although, it may be transmitted intravenously. Casual observations by local authorities (personal communication: Elizabeth Morley, RN, Director of Perrella Health Care Center of Hartwick College and Russell Grant, Director of Infection Control at Fox Memorial Hospital Oneonta NY) suggest that the routine diagnosis of Strep C pharyngitis amongst Hartwick College is endemic on Hartwick College campus. This study therefore determined the proportion of the student body of Hartwick College campus that are (asymptomatically) infected with Strep C and looked for common associations amongst members of the infected population using data collected from written surveys. The commonalities were then examined to look for possible reservoirs on campus. One hundred and sixty seven throat swab cultures were obtained from student volunteers on Hartwick College campus on three assigned dates starting March 2010. These cultures were grown on sheep blood agar plates and the different hemolytic colonies were then tested for Lancefield Group C using a latex agglutination test. The results show that 7.2% of the tested population is positive for Streptococcus Lancefield group C. Our data suggests that there is no significant association between being positive for Strep C and any of the tested variables. However, using chi squared analysis, we found a significant association (p<0.05) between the variable resident dorm and testing positive for Strep C. Further analysis of the data, revealed an unusually high count of individuals that tested positive for strep C residing in the dorm Leitzell. INTRODUCTION Infections caused by streptococcal bacteria are extremely common in the United States despite the overall susceptibility of these organisms to antibiotics like penicillin (Weinberg 2008). During the mid-1930’s, Rebecca Lancefield classified bacteria in the genus Streptococcus based on specific carbohydrates found in their cell walls. This led to the discovery of many streptococcal groups including A, C and G, all of which exhibit different biochemical properties (Weinberg 2008). Among these groups, Streptococcus Lancefield Group C have played more important clinical roles although they are less extensively studied when compared to Streptococcus Lancefield Group A (S. pyogenes) (Weinberg 2008). This is because Group C streptococci more commonly cause disease in non-human animals. They are, however, now being identified as a cause of local and systemic infections in humans with increasing frequency (Carmeli and Ruoff, 1995). SiddiquiS/Allen JBR XI 2010 143 Traditionally, Lancefield group C has included four species of Streptococcus: S. equisimilis, S. zooepidemicus, S. equi, and S. dysgalactiae (Carmeli and Ruoff, 1995). The first three species release a toxin that can break down red blood cells completely. On growth medium containing red blood cells, this results in a distinctly wide and clear area around the bacterial cells which is referred to as beta-hemolysis. In a recent study, Lancefield group C streptococci were implicated as causative agents in outbreaks of endemic pharyngitis (Turner et al, 1992). Pharyngitis is an inflammation or infection of the pharynx which can result in very large tonsils and can cause trouble swallowing, breathing and talking. Another study based on ten years of data from a Hospital in Israel found that Group C streptococcal pharyngitis was far more common than Group A streptococcus pharyngitis by 1999, accounting for 13 of 31,440 admissions compared to 0 of 18,783 in 1990 (Sylvetsky, 2002). Infectious Lancefield's Group C streptococci usually tend to colonize the skin, the newborn umbilicus and the mucosal surfaces of the nose, throat, vagina and rectum (Kuskie 1987). In severely invasive cases, diseases such as pneumonia, soft tissue infections, infections of bones and joints, meningitis, pneumonitis, pericarditis, endocarditis and toxic shock syndrome are also observed (Bradley et al 1991). According to observations by local authorities (Elizabeth Morley, RN, Director of Perrella Health Care Center of Hartwick College and Russell Grant, Director of Infection Control at Fox Memorial Hospital, Oneonta, NY), the routine diagnosis of Strep C pharyngitis amongst Hartwick College students suggests that Strep C is endemic on the Hartwick College campus. This paper reports on an investigation into the proportion of the student body of Hartwick College campus (asymptomatically) infected with Strep C. Common associations amongst members of the infected population were also determined, using data collected in written surveys, in an attempt to identify possible reservoirs (living or non-living sources which host disease-causing organisms and thus serves as potential sources of disease outbreaks) on campus. The most common reservoirs of Strep C include milk, horses and infected humans. Strep C is most commonly transmitted through direct contact with an infected human or non-human host but may also be transmitted intravenously. MATERIALS AND METHODS Subjects: Starting the end of March, 2010, throat swab cultures were obtained from student volunteers. The students that collected throat swab cultures were trained by a registered nurse (Elizabeth Morley, RN, Director of Perrella Health Care Center of Hartwick College) prior to collection dates. Volunteers were randomly recruited during 2 hour intervals on three days: March 15th, March 23 and April 7 2010. Dates of sample collection were advertised to the campus and each screening was administered at a different location on campus. Criteria for inclusion in the study were 1) no antibiotic administration during the preceding week, 2) no use of bacteriostatic throat lozenges or mouthwashes, 3) signature on a consent form, and 4) completion of a written survey. Evaluation at the clinical setting: At the time the throat swab culture was obtained, volunteers were asked to sign a form consenting to the use of information collected from their throat swabs in the study. Volunteers also indicated whether they desired a copy of the results of their throat swab and/or results of the complete study. Lastly, volunteers completed the lifestyle questionnaire (Table 1). This helped us identify any common associations SiddiquiS/Allen JBR XI 2010 144 amongst (asymptomatic) carriers of Strep C, which could lead to determination of a possible reservoir of the bacterium on campus. Laboratory procedures: Within 4 hours after their collection from volunteers, throat swab cultures were used to inoculate sheep blood agar plates, which were incubated for 14 to 24 hours at 37°C. All beta-hemolytic colonies per plate were tested for Lancefield Group C using a latex agglutination test. The data collected from this study was analyzed using chisquare analysis and logistic regression to test for significant relationships and trends. Probability values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS A total of 167 throat swabs were obtained from the same number of volunteers. From 35 of these, beta-hemolytic colonies were isolated and 12 students (7.2%) tested positive for Lancefield group C (Figure 1). Using chi squared analysis, we found a significant association (p<0.05) between the variable residence dormitory and testing positive for Strep C. No other significant associations were seen between being positive for Strep C and any of the variables on which information was gathered from written surveys. Further analysis of the data revealed an unusually high count of individuals that tested positive for Strep C residing in the dormitory named Leitzell, which made 15% of the total Leitzell student population positive for Strep C (Figure 2). Using logistic regression, Nagelkerke R values were calculated for all possible pairs, triplets, quadruplets etc. of all the possible variable combinations. The R values for all combinations were found to be close to 0, denoting that there were no evident associations between variables that were correlated with being positive for Strep C. (An R of 1.0 indicates that the regression line perfectly fits the data.) Table 1. Results of Pearson chi squared analyses testing for an association between asymptomatic infection with Streptococcus Lancefield Group C and each variable for which data were collected from written surveys completed by student volunteers. Probability values of less than 0.05 are considered significant. Variables Tested Pearson chi squared: (pvalue)