Systems Microbiology
Microbial life examined as an interconnected system, covering diversity, population dynamics, and genomics alongside the balance between microbes and human hosts. MIT OpenCourseWare presents the material through case studies rather than isolated lectures, working through vaccines, toxins, and biodefense as recurring themes. Specific infections anchor the discussion, including Legionnaire's disease, tuberculosis, Helicobacter pylori infection, and plague, used to trace how shifts in microbial ecology give rise to new infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. The course draws on biological engineering and environmental engineering perspectives, treating microbes not as isolated pathogens but as populations shaped by ecological pressures. Materials include the full set of course readings, assignments, and lecture notes as published by MIT, free to access under an open license, with no certificate offered since this is an OpenCourseWare archive rather than an instructor-led session.