GATE Syllabus for Microbiology (XL – K)

GATE Syllabus for Microbiology

Part 1: Historical Perspective

Discovery of microbial world; Controversy over spontaneous generation; Landmark discoveries relevant to the field of microbiology; Role of microorganisms in transformation of organic matter & in the causation of diseases

Part 2: Methods in Microbiology

Theory and practice of sterilization; Pure culture techniques; Principles of microbial nutrition; Light-, phase contrast- and electron-microscopy; Enrichment culture techniques for isolation of microorganisms

Part 3: Microbial Taxonomy and Diversity

Molecular approaches to microbial taxonomy, Bacteria, Eukaryotic microbes: Yeasts, molds and protozoa; Archea and their broad classification; Viruses and their classification

Part 4: Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells: Structure and Function

Eukaryotic cell organelles: Endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria and chloroplasts, Prokaryotic Cells: cell walls, cell membranes, mechanisms of solute transport across membranes, Flagella and Pili, Cell inclusions like endospores, Capsules, and gas vesicles

Part 5: Microbial Growth

Growth curve; Definition of growth; Effect of environmental factors on growth; Mathematical expression of exponential growth phase; Synchronous growth; Measurement of growth and growth yields; Continuous culture

Part 6: Control of Micro-organisms

Evaluation of effectiveness of antimicrobial agents; Effect of physical and chemical agents

Part 7: Microbial Metabolism

An overview of metabolism; Energetics: redox reactions and electron carriers; Glycolysis; Entner-Doudoroff pathway; Pentose-phosphate pathway; Glyoxalate pathway; The citric acid cycle; Fermentation; Aerobic and anaerobic respiration; Photosynthesis; Chemolithotrophy; Calvin cycle; Biosynthetic pathway for fatty acids synthesis; Regulation of major metabolic pathways; Common regulatory mechanisms in synthesis of amino acids

Part 8: Microbial Diseases and Host Pathogen Interaction

Classification of infectious diseases; Normal microbiota; Reservoirs of infection; Emerging infectious diseases; Nosocomial infection; Mechanism of microbial pathogenicity; Antigens and antibodies; Nonspecific defense of host; Humoral and cell mediated immunity; Immune deficiency; Vaccines; Human diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, and pathogenic fungi

Part 9: Chemotherapy/Antibiotics

Antibiotics: Classification, mode of action and resistance; General characteristics of antimicrobial drugs; Antifungal and antiviral drugs

Part 10: Microbial Genetics

Types of mutation; Selection of mutants; UV and chemical mutagens; Ames test for mutagenesis; DNA repair; Bacterial genetic system: transformation, transduction, plasmids, conjugation, recombination, transposons; Regulation of gene expression: repression and induction; Bacterial genome with special reference to E.coli; Operon model; Phage λ and its life cycle; RNA viruses; RNA phages; Retroviruses; Basic concept of microbial genomics

Part 11: Microbial Ecology

Microbial interactions; Carbon, nitrogen and sulphur cycles; Soil microorganisms associated with vascular plants.