London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The overall module aims are to:

• Improve and refine diagnosis by microscopical methods and ii) introduce modern methods (in use and under development) for the laboratory diagnosis of the important parasitic diseases of man for clinical and epidemiological purposes. 
• Provides opportunities to evaluate the potential applications of these methods in developing and developed countries.

Who is it for?

This module is designed for those who have either taken the Parasitology & Entomology (3122) module in Term 1 or have extensive practical experience in diagnostic parasitology. This module is intended for those expecting to specialise in diagnostic parasitology, monitoring control programmes or in the development of novel diagnostic techniques.

Intended learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the module, a student will be able to: 

• Demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of the application and evaluation of advanced diagnostic techniques; 
• Compare the organisation and management of laboratories in resource rich and resource poor settings; 
• Demonstrate increased ability to diagnose parasites by microscopy.

Session Content

The module is expected to cover the following topics: 

• Microscopy; 
• Nucleic acid techniques in diagnosis including conventional PCR, real-time & quantitative PCR, LAMP and gel electrophoresis; 
• Rapid Diagnostic Tests; 
• Immunoassays for detecting antibody and antigen including ELISA; 
• Culture-based diagnosis; 
• Principles of test development; 
• Applicability of tests and test evaluation; 
• Laboratory management and good practice including Quality Management; 
• Economic considerations

Mode of delivery

This module is delivered predominantly face-to-face. Where specific teaching methods (lectures, seminars, discussion groups) are noted in this module specification these will be delivered by predominantly face-to-face sessions. There will be a combination of live and interactive activities (synchronous learning) as well as self-directed study (asynchronous learning).

Assessment

The assessment for this module has been designed to measure student learning against the module's intended learning outcomes (ILOs) as listed above. Formative assessment methods may be used to measure students’ progress. The grade for summative assessment(s) only will go towards the overall award GPA. 

The practical assessment for this module will be on campus at LSHTM. 

Assessment will be by practical examination comprising of the diagnosis of clinical specimens and answering questions related to the diagnosis made.

Credits

• CATS: 15
• ECTS: 7.5

Module specification

For full information regarding this module please see the module specification.