Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board NET SYLLABUS

Unit 1: General Bacteriology

Milestones in the development of microbiology, Classification and nomenclature of bacteriaStructure, function   and   chemistry   of   bacterial   nuclear   apparatus. Cytoplasm, Intracellular granules, Cell   wall, Cytoplasmic   membrane,   Mesosomes, Cap sale, Flagella, Fimbriae, Endospore, Protoplasts, Spheroplasts , L-forms , involution forms . Bacterial stains, staining and microscopy.  Growth and nutritional requirements of bacteria. Bacterial enzymes. Respiration in bacteria. Carbohydrate protein, fat and nucleic acid metabolism in bacteria. Reproduction and growth phase of bacteria. Effects of chemical and physical agents and antibiotics. Bacterial variations including transduction, transformation and conjugation. Bacterial vaccines and toxins.

The role of microbial toxins in the pathogenesis of diseases; Biochemical and biological characteristics of toxins produced by various bacteria.  Toxin produces Gram positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Properties and clinical conditions produced by different bacterial toxins.

Unit 2: Systematic Bacteriology

Systematic study of bacteria belonging to genera Borrelia, Leptospira, Campylobacter, Pseudomonas, Brucella, Bordetella, Escherichia, Citrobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Proteus, Vibrio, Haemophilu s , Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Bacillus, Clostridium, Listeria, Erysipelothrix, Corynebacterium, nocardia, Rickettsia, Chlamydia,   Mycoplasma,   Acholeplasma,   Spiroplasma,    Anaeroplasma    and Thermopl as ma, Rhodococcus, Mycobacterium and Neisseria.

Unit 3: General Virology

Historical development of virology.  Evolution, classification and nomenclature of viruses.   Biophysical and biochemical   characteristics of viruses.  Cultivation of viruses and their growth in cell culture, embryonated eggs and experimental animals. Purification and concentration of viruses s. Qualitative and quantitative assay   of viruses. Viral replication, Virus-host cell relationships, Replication strategies of animal viruses and molecular pathogenesis for selected viral systems.  La cut, persistent and chronic viral infections. Study of genetic variability of animal viruses through use of monoclonal antibodies, autoimmunity, immunosuppression and viral mutation in persistence infections. General principles of laboratory diagnosis of viral diseases. Epidemiology and pathology of viral infections. Immune mechanism v in viral diseases. Interference and interferon.  Viral  vaccines,  point  of  action  of  antiviral   molecules during the replication cycle of a  virus and  search  for new antiviral  compounds,  viruses and gene therapy. Chemotherapy of viral infections.

Unit 4: Systematic Virology

Systematic study of RNA and DNA viruses in livestock and poultry with reference to antigenicity, cultivation, pathogenesis, epidemiology, diagnosis  and immunity,  RNA viruses: Retroviruses and lymphotropic viruses, Visna and maedi, Arboviruses, Rotaviruses . Birnaviruses. Picornaviruses. Bunyaviruses . Coronaviruses. Togaviruses , Paramyxoviruses , Orthomyxoviruses, Rhabdoviruses. Picornaviruses. Btinyavirus es. Arenaviruses. Arterial Viruses. Caliciviruses . Filoviruses , DNA viruses: Poxviruses . Hepadnaviruses. Iridoviruses , Adenoviruses, PapovaviruS( S. ParvoviruseS . Hepadnaviruses. Circoviruses. Unclassified viruses. Slow viruses Scrapie. 

Unit 5: Mycology

General   characteristics   of   fungi. Classification    and   study   of   pathogenic   fungi- Epidermophyton,Microsporum,Trichophyton,Cryptococcus,Aspergillus,Blastomyces,Coccidioides,Histoplasma, Candida,    Rhinosporidium,Contaminating fungi, Rhizopus,  Mucor  and  Penicillium.  Fungi  causing  mast Otis ,  abortion  and mycotoxicosis .

Unit 6: Immunology

Historical Perspectives.  Host-parasite  relationships.  Antigens . ypes  of  antigens. Properties and specificity of antigens. Factor determining antigenicity. Haptens and carriers.  Heterophile  antigens.   Adjuvants . Mechanisms   of  action   classification  and their uses. Immunoglobulins — their classes and subclasses , stru :ture and function. Allotype s. Idiotypes. Genes coding for  Igs.  Generation  of  diversity.  Monoclonal antibodies.  Purification  of  antibodies.  Theories  of  antibody  formation.  Lymphoid organs: primary, secondary and   circulation   of  lymphocytes ,  ce 1s involved   in   the

immune  response  — lymphocytes,   T  lymphocytes,   subsets  and  riatore  of  receptors.

Macrophages, Dendritic reticular cells, Langerhans cells . Cellular interactions Cell- mediated immune responses. Mechanism of interaction of antigen and antibody. The complement system. Classical and alternative pathways. Serological reactions: agglutination, precipitation, neutralization, CFT, FAT, ELIS/ , DII, RIA,  etc, immunological methods as an  aid  to diagnosis,  blotting  techniques  like Northern, Wcs terri blotting, Major, Histocompatibility complex: organization.

Nature  of  antigens  and  MHC  restriction.  Hypersensitivity   immediate  and  delayed types,  and  mechanism  of  hypersensitivity.   Mechanism   of  immunity,   autoimmunity and immunological tolerance .

Unit 7: Molecular Cell Biology (Vaccine 8s Diagnostic Technology)

Role of biotechnology in diagnostics and vaccines, RNA electropherotyping. Probes – preparation of cDNA. Use of DNA probe in animal diseases diagnosis . Monoclonal antibodies. Application on monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis of animal diseases. Preparation of monoclonal antibodies. Nucleic acid hybridization Modern trends  in vaccines. Recombinant DNA vaccines and their probable use in animal diseases. Bioinformatic tools in microbial research, Biosafety, Biosecurity, GJ4P and GLP.