What is the primary function of bacterial endospores?

Endospores allow certain bacteria to survive harsh conditions such as heat, drying, chemicals, and nutrient depletion.

How do bacteria prevent antibiotics from accumulating inside the cell?

Many bacteria use efflux pumps to actively transport antibiotics out of the cell.

Which antifungal drugs form pores in fungal cell membranes?

Polyenes, such as amphotericin B and nystatin, bind ergosterol and form membrane pores that cause cell leakage.

Free online course Microbiology

Duration of the online course: 8 hours and 26 minutes

(7)

Boost your medical microbiology skills with a free online course on bacteria, toxins, and antimicrobials—learn faster with videos and practice questions.

In this free course, learn about

Bacterial cell structure and functions (cell wall, membrane, organelles, key components)
Endospores: their purpose, survival advantages, and clinical relevance
Bacterial genetics basics, including gene transfer and how traits like resistance spread
Binary fission as the primary bacterial replication method producing identical daughter cells
Key differences among Staphylococcus aureus, epidermidis, and saprophyticus
Core staphylococcal traits and which features are not shared by all species
Endotoxins vs exotoxins: sources, mechanisms, and major clinical effects
Antibiotic classes and major mechanisms of action, especially cell-wall synthesis inhibitors
How bacteria resist antibiotics, including efflux pumps preventing intracellular buildup
Antiviral treatment overview for HIV, hepatitis, influenza, and herpes
HIV integrase inhibitors: drug examples and the integrase enzyme target in the life cycle
Antifungal drug classes and mechanisms, including membrane pore formation (polyenes)
Terbinafine mechanism: inhibition of squalene epoxidase and reduced ergosterol synthesis

About the free online course

Microbiology shapes how we prevent, diagnose, and treat infections, from everyday skin bacteria to complex viral diseases. In this free online course, you will build a clear, practical understanding of microorganisms and the tools used to control them—knowledge that supports careers and studies in health, nursing, pharmacy, biomedical science, public health, and related medical fields. The learning experience is designed to help you move from memorizing terms to actually understanding how microbes function and why specific treatments work.

You will begin by connecting bacterial structure to real clinical behavior: how cell components support survival, how endospores protect bacteria under harsh conditions, and how replication produces identical cells with remarkable speed. From there, the course strengthens your foundation in bacterial genetics, helping you make sense of how microbes adapt, change, and sometimes become harder to treat. This context is essential for understanding why infections can spread, persist, or respond differently to medications.

As you progress, you will explore clinically important groups such as Staphylococcus species and learn how to think through identifying traits that matter in real-world decision making. You will also compare endotoxins and exotoxins and link these toxin types to symptoms and severity, which is key for interpreting infection patterns and anticipating risks.

A major focus is antimicrobial therapy. You will learn how antibiotics target bacteria, how cell wall synthesis relates to effectiveness, and how resistance mechanisms—such as limiting intracellular drug accumulation—impact outcomes. The course then broadens into antivirals, including key targets in HIV treatment and commonly discussed viral conditions, before rounding out with antifungal strategies and how different drug classes affect the fungal membrane and its stability. Throughout, short practice questions reinforce understanding, so you can check your reasoning and strengthen retention as you go.

Course content

Video class: Bacteria | Structure and Function 1h04m
Exercise: What is the primary function of bacterial endospores?
Video class: Bacterial Genetics 40m
Exercise: What is the primary method by which bacteria replicate to produce two identical cells?

Video class: Staphylococcus: Aureus, Epidermidis, Saprophyticus 1h01m
Exercise: Which of the following characteristics is NOT true about all staphylococcus species?
Video class: Endotoxins vs. Exotoxins 44m
Exercise: Which of the following statements is true regarding bacterial endotoxins and exotoxins?
Video class: Antibiotics 2h17m
Exercise: Which mechanism best describes how bacteria can prevent antibiotics from accumulating inside the cell?
Exercise: What statement about antibiotics and bacterial cell wall synthesis is correct?

Video class: Antivirals | HIV, Hepatitis, Influenza, Herpes Treatment 1h51m
Exercise: Which of the following drugs is primarily used as an integrase inhibitor in the treatment of HIV?
Exercise: Which enzyme is targeted by integrase inhibitors in the HIV replication cycle?
Video class: Antifungals 46m
Exercise: Which class of antifungal drugs works by forming pores in the fungal cell membrane, leading to electrolyte imbalances and subsequent cell lysis?
Exercise: Which antifungal drug inhibits the enzyme squalene epoxidase, reducing the conversion of squalene to ergosterol, thereby affecting the stability of the fungal cell membrane?