Morphology, dimensions, organization. Differences Bacteria, Archea, Eukaryotes. The wall: Gram positive, Gram negative, Archea. Cytoplasmic membrane; secretion and transport systems. Capsule, S layers. External appendages: flagella and random and oriented movement; fimbriae and pili. The protoplast: cytoplasm, ribosomes, nucleoid, inclusion bodies.
Elemental composition of the cell. Nutritional categories. Culture media: minimal and complex, selective and differential. Enrichment and isolation in pure culture. Growth of microbial populations: methods for the determination of biomass and cell number. Mathematical description of growth. Growth curve. Environmental factors influencing microbial growth: temperature, pH, water availability, oxygen availability. Extremophilic microorganisms. Physical and chemical methods for growth control.
Chemotrophy. Fermentation. Aerobic breathing. Anaerobic respiration: denitrification, desulfurication, methanogenesis, homoacetogenesis. Chemolithotrophy and main chemolithotrophic microorganisms. Oxygen and anoxygenic photosynthesis. Assimilative and biosynthetic metabolism. Assimilation of organic compounds. CO2 assimilation. Combined N assimilation, nitrogen fixation. Assimilation of sulfur and phosphorus.
Classification systems. Conventional and molecular methods for identification.
Role of microorganisms in the cycles of C, N, S. Notes on the degradation of natural and synthetic organic compounds in aerobiosis and anaerobiosis. Diazotrophic symbiosis. Examples of applications in environmental biotechnology.
General properties of viruses. Structure and organization of virions. Multiplication of viruses. Methods of studying viruses. Examples of life cycles of bacteriophages and eukaryotic viruses.
The genome of prokaryotes; chromosome, plasmids, other accessory genetic elements. Integrity of genetic information and generation of mutations. Types of mutants and selection systems. Horizontal gene transfer: conjugation, transformation, transduction. Evolutionary significance of genome plasticity.
The role of the human microbiota. Pathogenic bacteria: reservoirs and transmission. Concepts of pathogenicity and virulence. The virulence factors. Endotoxins. Classification and examples of mechanisms of action of exotoxins. Notes on the host's defenses.
Microorganisms of oenological interest. Yeasts of oenological interest. The yeasts of winemaking. Growth kinetics of yeasts. Spontaneous fermentation and controlled fermentation. Selected yeasts. The refermentation. Autolysis of yeasts. The killer yeasts. Genetics of wine yeasts. Genetically modified yeasts. Oenological significance of lactic bacteria. The alterations of the wine originated by yeasts. The alterations of the wine due to molds. Alterations in wine due to lactic bacteria. Alterations in wine due to acetic and other bacteria. Special vinifications from a microbiological point of view. The biological stabilization of musts and wines. Microbiological purification of waste water from the wine industry.
Exercises - Preparation of culture media, counting, identification and selection of microorganisms of oenological interest. Observation of yeasts of enological importance.

Madigan et al., Brock - Biologia dei Microrganismi, Pearson Italia, 16 ed., 2022
Zambonelli C. Microbiologia e Biotecnologia dei vini, Ed agricole, Bologna, 1998.