Browsing by Author "Hurtado, C."
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Item Open Access Applicability of the DMU e-Parasitology for teaching cell and parasite culture(2019-07-08) Pena-Fernandez, A.; Hurtado, C.; Evans, M. D.; Izquierdo, F.; Acosta, L.; Llorens, S.De Montfort University (DMU, UK) and the Spanish University of San Pablo CEU (USP-CEU) and Miguel Hernández de Elche, are developing a complete on-line package for teaching and learning medical parasitology, named DMU e-Parasitology (http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk). This novel package includes a virtual laboratory and microscope with a complete library of digitised 2D slides of parasites in clinical samples. Recently, we have been successful in using super-resolution 3D microscopy (3D Cell Explorer; Nanolive, Lausanne, Switzerland), to incorporate 3D microscopic photographs (multiple-viewpoint-holographic images, 96 z-stacks) of fixed cultures, on slides, of important human parasites provided by the Cell Culture Laboratory (USP-CEU). We have also created two e-learning units that show all the practices and procedures of work in a cell and parasite culture unit in conjunction with detailed information and videos of parasitologists working in real conditions with amoebas and Leishmania infantum cultures. These novel resources were tested using a blended approach with final year Biomedical Science and Medical Science students at DMU that voluntarily enrolled to receive practical training in cell/parasite culture provided by an USP-CEU academic through an Erasmus+ mobility grant. Briefly, 2-hour training sessions were delivered, in which students working in pairs were trained how to culture adherent human cancer cells lines, including counting viable vs. dead cells. Twenty-two students attended these sessions; 9 (8 BMS, 1 BMedSci) provided comprehensive feedback. Prior to attending the laboratory session, participants were asked to view the DMU e-Parasitology cell and parasite culture units. 88.9% reported that the e-learning units (22.2% agreed, 66.7% strongly agreed) and the virtual microscopic slides (55.6% agreed, 33.3% strongly agreed) facilitated their learning. Only one student (11%) indicated that the units were difficult to understand. Most students (55.6% agreed, 33.3% strongly agreed) indicated that they learnt basic skills to perform cell/parasite culture. Some students demanded more time to perform the practical, or to deliver it in the first term when they have just started the course. Although preliminary, our results indicate that the methods and resources here detailed could help with the teaching/learning of these important practical topics to any future health scientist.Item Embargo Blended learning for teaching cell culture as part of DMU e-Parasitology.(Alcalá de Henares: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Alcalá, 2019-09-01) Pena-Fernandez, A.; Evans, M. D.; Hurtado, C.; Acosta, L.; Izquierdo, F.; Magnet, A.; Pena, M. A.; Singh, N.; Fenoy, S.; Bornay, F. J.; del Aguila, C.Emerging and re-emerging human parasites have become a global health threat due to different factors including globalisation, climate and vector ecology changes that have highlighted the necessity of teaching human parasitology to appropriately train future health care professionals. However, a significant erosion in the teaching of parasitology in conjunction with a reduction of the number of parasitology departments across European universities has been reported. To maintain and strengthen the teaching of this discipline, De Montfort University (DMU, UK) is leading an innovative international project for the development of a complete on-line package for teaching and learning parasitology named DMU e-Parasitology. This package will be publicly available on the DMU website here http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/ when completed early in 2019 and have different modules including a Virtual Laboratory. This paper focuses on the first e-learning unit created for the Virtual Laboratory section, named Human Cell Culture, and the validation undertaken to use it as a model unit to build this section. Cell culture is fundamental in parasitology for supporting different areas such as culture of obligate intracellular parasites or testing future drugs against these pathogens. The evaluation of the unit with undergraduate Biomedical Science students in 2017/18 at De Montfort University (UK) indicate that the unit seemed successful in facilitating students to acquire essential basic skills for working with cells in a cell culture room. Finally, we also provide a description of the short-blended learning experience implemented to validate the unit, intervention that could be easily adopted to enhance the teaching of cell culture in human health science programmes.Item Open Access Building a DMU e-Biology resource for health sciences’ students.(International Academy of Technology, Education and Development (IATED), 2017-11-18) Pena-Fernandez, A.; Sgamma, Tiziana; Young, Christopher N. J.; Randles, Michael J.; del Aguila, C.; Hurtado, C.; Evans, M. D.; Potiwat, N.; Izquierdo, F.; Pena, M. A.; Coope, J.; Armstrong, M.; Bhambra, Avninder S.The BSc Biomedical Science (BMS) programme at De Montfort University (DMU, Leicester, UK) is accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS). Students enrolled within this programme acquire highly sought after skills related with human health sciences to work in: pathology departments in hospitals; research institutions; biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries; and the education sector to name a few. The degree recruits a large number of students with currently around 600 students enrolled on this programme at DMU. Despite pre-entry requirements of knowledge of subjects related to human biology, biology or chemistry, we have noted that first year students require basic support in STEM subjects (biology, chemistry and mathematics) in modules such as “Basic Microbiology”, “Basic Anatomy and Physiology” and “Chemistry for the Biosciences”. This support is especially necessary for students that come from non-traditional routes such as Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) routes. Moreover, usually topics related with microbiology and human diseases are challenging for students, often causing stress impacting their overall performance and experience. A group of BMS academics at DMU in conjunction with universities in the European Union (EU; e.g. University of San Pablo CEU, Spain) have started to design, create and develop a series of e-learning resources or units in human biology and BMS for undergraduate students that study health sciences degrees in the EU. These units are being uploaded onto the DMU web server (http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/) and will be only accessible for students from participating universities during the first phase of this project (2017/18 course) in which comprehensive feedback will be collected. This web server space has three sections or modules (theoretical section, virtual laboratory and microscope) in which the new e-learning resources will be preliminary accommodated. These units will be interactive and easy to follow, and will cover basic human biology (e.g. cells, cell structure), human anatomy and physiology, histology and basic microbiology, which will be embedded in a theoretical module named DMU e-Biology within the above URL link. They will include formative assessments and case studies throughout each unit. In addition, a series of practical units are being developed which describe routine practical elements in any biomedical laboratory such as laboratory materials, pipetting, molecular techniques (e.g. PCR), cell culture (e.g. use of biological safety cabinet) and histological techniques (e.g. use of microtome, staining techniques). The development of this teaching and learning resource will cover a gap in the traditional teaching and learning methods that are currently used and provided in the participating universities. The DMU e-Biology will aid to our undergraduate students to gain knowledge in human biology and microbiology by promoting self-learning. We consider that the DMU e-Biology will help overcome spatiotemporal, equipment and resource barriers. Additionally, it may help student retention as currently about a 10% of our first year students fail to continue BMS at DMU. Finally, the creation of the DMU e-Biology will also provide support to the DMU Student Retention and Attainment Strategy 2016-2020 through the DMU Student Learning Hub, which is currently under development.Item Open Access Building on-line materials for teaching parasitology to health sciences’ students: initial impressions.(2017-06-05) Pena-Fernandez, A.; Ollero, M.; Fenoy, S.; Magnet, A.; Mackenzie, S.; Pena, M. A.; Izquierdo, F.; Hurtado, C.; Ioannou, M.; Bornay, F.; Halliwell, R.; Acosta, L.; Torrus, D.; Singh, Harprit; Sgamma, Tiziana; Evans, M.; Bhambra, Avninder S.; Baho, S.; del Aguila, C.Background: It is widely recognised that the use of web-based teaching resources is an increasingly important method for delivering education, and it will be particularly important in the near future due to the progressively increasing number of health science students and the current number of academics in the “European Higher Education Area”. The study of parasitology and infectious diseases is essential to build professionals in the health sector with the key knowledge and skills to face global public health threats such as food-, water- or vector-borne infectious diseases outbreaks. However, the current time dedicated to the teaching of this discipline in all health sciences degrees at De Montfort University (DMU, Leicester, UK) is very little or non-existent depending on the degree/master. Methods: An innovative teaching group at DMU is trying to fill this gap in the currently available teaching offer in line with new trends in global health education, the large number of students enrolled in any health degree and the increasing number of students that would like to study this discipline (but due to different commitments do not have enough time or resources to study on a full time basis). Thus, an innovative teaching group from different EU Universities (DMU and the Spanish universities: University of San Pablo CEU, University of Alcalá, and University Miguel Hernández de Elche) and clinicians (University Hospitals of Leicester, UK) have started to design, create and develop a complete on-line package in Parasitology for undergraduate and postgraduate students that study health sciences. Results: The e-Parasitology package will be accessible through the DMU website (http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk) in 2017 and will be focused on infection, prevention and treatment of major and emerging parasitological diseases. Conclusions: This teaching resource will aid our undergraduate and postgraduate students to gain a significant knowledge in parasitology by promoting self-learning and internationalization. This poster will explore one of the first mini-modules developed so far related with Toxocara, a helminthiasis with prevalence rates that can reach as high as 40% or more in parts of the world, and the challenges for its development.Item Metadata only Detection of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamases E. coli in Animal Faeces Collected in Urban Parks in Leicester, UK(2017-06-02) Adeyemi, J.; Reid, R.; Baho, S.; Hoosen, H.; del Aguila, C.; Fenoy, S.; Pena, M. A.; Izquierdo, F.; Magnet, A.; Sgamma, Tiziana; Ollero, M. D.; Hurtado, C.; Pena-Fernandez, A.Background: The presence and distribution of antibiotic resistance bacteria in the environment could constitute an emerging public health concern. Different studies have described these bacteria in a range of animals and their possible role in the contamination of the environment, however very little studies have determined these bacteria in urban ecosystems. Recovery and remediation of affected environments with these biological hazards, and the establishment of protection interventions, constitute a challenge that requires a collaborative international response to protect the public, especially in urban ecosystems. A preliminary study carried out by our research group have detected Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases (ESBL) genes for Gram-negative bacteria in animal faecal samples collected in different urban parks in the city centre of Leicester (United Kingdom). Methods: This study investigated the presence of ESBL-producing genes (blaCTX-M, blaSHV, blaTEM and blaOXA) within Escherichia coli (E. coli) due to its implications for human health. 30 faecal samples were collected in the same parks between August and September of 2016. A veterinarian identified the animal species as follow: 22 avian (18 waterfowls, 4 pigeons), 4 dogs, 3 cats and 1 fox. After appropriate treatment of the samples, CTX-M-1-type producing E. coli was detected by molecular analysis in 5 of the analysed samples (17%); all of them from waterfowls. Results: The results described here, although preliminary, might indicate that waterfowls might be carriers of ESBL E. coli producers in Leicester. Waterfowls may have a possible role in the spread of CTX-M-1 producing E. coli in urban ecosystems although more research is required prior to implementing intervention programs in the monitored environment. Conclusions: Possible control measures may be cleaning frequently urban parks, roads and pavement from animal faeces, especially avian faeces; or banning exposure practices such as feeding these animals, activity that is very popular in the monitored city.Item Open Access Developing resources for teaching and learning cell and parasite culture within the DMU e-Parasitology package.(IATED, 2017-11-18) Pena-Fernandez, A.; Evans, M.; del Aguila, C.; Hurtado, C.Cultivation of parasites is not a routine identification technique for human parasitic diseases but provides invaluable help in patient care, research and epidemiology, particularly in the diagnosis, management, control and prevention of these diseases. Moreover, culture facilitates students’ learning and understanding of the complex morphology, physiology, life cycle and host-parasite relationships of parasites. However, cultivation of parasites can be fastidious and requires specific techniques, resources and skills that may not be available in many biomedical laboratories. Thus, among other factors, cultivation of specific forms of some parasites or species requires in vitro culture of cells to be successful. For example, the emerging human protozoan pathogen Enterocytozoon bieneusi, the most frequently diagnosed microsporidial species in humans, has been successfully cultured only in short term cultures (6 months) and requires animal cells. An innovative teaching group of academics from De Montfort University (DMU), University of San Pablo CEU (USP-CEU, Spain) and University Miguel Hernández (Spain), in conjunction with clinicians and practising Biomedical Scientists from the UK National Health Service are developing on-line resources for teaching and learning the different steps and phases for cultivating mammalian cells (including human cells) and parasites in a biomedical laboratory. These resources or units will be a key part of the “virtual laboratory” section of the novel package DMU e-Parasitology, which will be publicly accessible through the DMU website later in 2018 (http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk). Cell culture related units are being developed in close collaboration with academics that have built a real cell and parasite culture laboratory. Specific units that describe the basic equipment and resources to cultivate cells and these organisms in a standard biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) medical laboratory (e.g. biological safety cabinet class II, incubators, sterilization, cryogenic storage and inverted microscope) and its workflow are being developed. These units will be highly interactive and engaging and will present short videos of a technician/scientist working in real conditions with this equipment to enhance students’ understanding and learning. Short formative assessments will be introduced to facilitate the self-evaluation of users’ learning. Finally, photographs and short videos of different human parasites in different media and cultures are being produced and introduced in the “virtual microscope” section of the DMU e-Parasitology. Users will be able to zoom in and out and move around of each sample simulating real parasite cultures. Moreover, students will be able to gain a complete understanding of the different structures and characteristics of major human parasites for clinical diagnostic purposes. We consider that the novel teaching and learning resource DMU e-Parasitology will help students and academics around the world in the teaching and study of human parasitology, making this relevant subject more interesting. Academics will be able to enrich their strategies for teaching and make their sessions more appetising and stimulating. Finally, DMU e-Parasitology could help educators in course development and could be used for training purposes by future technicians that will work in a cell or parasite culture laboratory.Item Open Access Development of a virtual environment for teaching and learning biomedical techniques and equipment for the study of human pathogens.(IATED, 2018-07-04) Pena-Fernandez, A.; Fenoy, S.; Evans, M. D.; Sgamma, Tiziana; Hurtado, C.; Izquierdo, F.; Randles, M.; Young, C.; Acosta, L.; del Aguila, C.An international innovative teaching group from different EU Universities (De Montfort University, Leicester, UK; University of San Pablo CEU, Madrid, Spain; University of Miguel Hernandez, Elche, Spain) and biomedical scientists registered by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC, UK) are developing a complete e-learning package in medical parasitology for undergraduate and postgraduate students that study Health Sciences. This package, named DMU e-Parasitology, is accessible through the DMU website (http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk) and will present different modules including a virtual laboratory module for the study of traditional and novel biomedical laboratory techniques and equipment for detecting, identifying and studying human pathogens, specifically parasites. These techniques could also be potentially used to study other pathogens such as bacteria or viruses. The virtual biomedical laboratory is under development, but is available in the DMU website here: http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/learn/laboratory.htm. To develop this new module of the DMU e-Parasitology, we are using Storyline 360 software and the scaffolding and methods used to build the theoretical module (Peña-Fernández et al., 2017) [1]. To facilitate the navigation, study and comprehension of the final user, we have divided the virtual laboratory into a series of sub-sections that include different units; the sub-sections so far are: microscopes (with units such as the electron microscope); molecular biology (e.g. polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis); biological safety cabinets and cell/parasite culture; biochemical and immunological techniques (e.g. magnetic immunoseparation); histology (e.g. microtome) and staining techniques (e.g. Kinyoun staining). The virtual laboratory units are highly interactive and present short videos of academics and/or technicians working in real conditions with the different laboratory equipment such as a thermocycler, a microtome, or a biological safety cabinet, as well as performing a specific technique such as a staining to determine pathogens. Therefore, the user of this virtual environment will receive a complete and “real” experience of the work in a biomedical laboratory. The DMU e-Parasitology package, and specifically its virtual laboratory environment, could help technicians and students across the world to learn how to work in a biomedical laboratory as well as to perform techniques to identify and diagnose human pathogens such as microsporidia or Plasmodium spp. Thus, the virtual resource is supported by a virtual library that includes a real collection of clinical slides that will provide the user with the functionality of a light and/or an immunofluorescence microscope. In conclusion, the virtual laboratory may serve as a high quality and reliable on-line environment for the learning of techniques and equipment. These resources can be used to improve the learning of undergraduate and postgraduate students of human health sciences as well as to develop CPD training. Moreover, the virtual laboratory module may impact in the teaching of laboratory techniques and skills in developing countries due to their limited resources. This communication will explore the design and development of the virtual laboratory environment that will be publicly accessible by the end of 2018.Item Embargo Development of a virtual library of clinical samples for medical parasitology diagnosis(IATED, 2018) Pena-Fernandez, A.; Fenoy, S.; Halliwell, R.; Izquierdo, F.; Magnet, A.; Hurtado, C.; Bornay, F.; Acosta, L.; Ollero, M. D.; Armstrong, M.; Evans, M. D.; del Aguila, C.Item Open Access Environmental recovery training for biological incidents: impressions from pharmacy students(2017-07) Pena-Fernandez, A.; Pena, M. A.; Ollero, M. D.; Hurtado, C.; Fenoy, S.Item Open Access Intervention to enhance medical parasitology knowledge at the University of Makeni, Sierra Leone.(XXI Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Parasitología (SOCEPA), 2019-07-08) Pena-Fernandez, A.; Izquierdo, F.; Acosta, L.; Hurtado, C.; Magnet, A.; Berghs, Maria; Anjum, U.In post-Ebola Sierra Leone, capacity building is critical to prevent future outbreaks, which should be informed by research influenced by good cultural and ethical practices. De Montfort University (DMU, UK) in collaboration with parasitologists from the Spanish Universities of San Pablo CEU and Miguel Hernandez de Elche, is leading a project to build the research and teaching capabilities at University of Makeni (UniMak, Sierra Leone). As part of the project, a DMU academic visited UniMak for two weeks in April 2019 and provided sessions in basic parasitology, currently not taught in any programme. These sessions covered basic introduction to medical parasitology and life-cycle, pathogenesis, detection, treatment and prevention of: a) coccidian (Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora and Cystoisospora); b) Giardia intestinalis, Entamoeba and free-living amoebas; c) malaria and d) microsporidia. A theoretical session on the use of biological safety cabinets and common staining techniques was also provided. To facilitate the teaching and learning of these parasites, the novel resource DMU e-Parasitology was used, a package developed by the above participating universities and biomedical scientists from the UK National Health Service: http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/index.htm; which comprises four sections: theoretical with engaging e-learning units, a virtual laboratory, microscopy and case studies. To apply the knowledge learnt during the sessions, volunteer UniMak students attended a final session in which they were asked to resolve the virtual clinical case studies available, specifically designed to enhance critical thinking and self-learning. Participants in this practical session (n=31) provided comprehensive feedback; a high percentage (96.8%) enjoyed the experience. All attendees highlighted they had gained appropriate knowledge of the studied parasitic diseases, including pathology, prevention and treatment (12.9% agreed, 87.1% strongly agreed). 93.5% and 90.3% of students indicated, respectively, that the diagrams and mini-videos of parasitologists performing the detection techniques facilitated their learning. Finally, 93.5% indicated that the website enhanced their interest in study of parasitology and would recommend a more comprehensive study of this science in their programmes. Our preliminary results have shown that the DMU e-Parasitology facilitates the introduction of basic medical parasitology in universities from developing countries with very little teaching and resources currently available for appropriate training.Item Open Access Presence of Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora in public parks of the Community of Madrid(2019-07-08) Martínez, C.; Magnet, A.; Pena-Fernandez, A.; Redondo, F.; Ollero, D.; Hurtado, C.; Izquierdo, F.; Fenoy, S.; del Águila, C.Item Metadata only Teaching parasite culture through e-learning incorporating digitised 2D and 3D parasite images.(IATED, 2019-07-03) Pena-Fernandez, A.; Llorens, S.; Hurtado, C.; Izquierdo, F.; Pozuelo, M.J.; Fenoy, S.; Young, C.; Evans, M. D.; Ollero, M. D.; del Aguila, C.; Magnet, A.The teaching of medical parasitology is facing important challenges including the need to reverse the current downward trend in the teaching status of this science reported in developed countries, despite increasing food and water parasitic outbreaks in these countries. Moreover, the teaching of this science should be adapted to the rapidly increasing biomedical and technological achievements in our societies, so we can meet future students’ interests and expectations as well as being able to supply future work placement needs. Thus, parasitologists from different European Universities [De Montfort University, DMU, UK; and the Spanish University of San Pablo CEU (USP-CEU) and Miguel Hernández de Elche], are developing a complete on-line package for teaching and learning medical parasitology, named DMU e-Parasitology (http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk). This novel package includes a virtual laboratory and microscope with a complete library of digitised 2D slides of parasites in clinical samples. Recently, we have been successful in using 3D super-resolution microscopy (3D Cell Explorer; Nanolive), to incorporate 3D microscopic images (multiple-viewpoint-holographic images, 96 z-stacks) of important protozoan (e.g. http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk /learn/3D_Parasitology/Acanthamoeba_cyst_1.htm) and fungi human parasites fixed on slides, of. In contrast to images created from pre-stained clinical samples, in which structures of the parasites were indistinguishable from the background, although insight of the morphological structure of the infective forms of the parasites could be seen in the 3D z-stack images in each fixed culture samples provided. However, we believe that such images will have little applicability as a potential diagnostic tool, requiring further development. We have also created an e-learning unit on parasite cell culture (http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk /learn/lab/parasite_cell_cultures/story_flash.html), which show all the practices and procedures to work in a parasite culture unit in conjunction with detailed information and videos of parasitologists/technicians working in real conditions with parasite cultures. In order to validate this unit, we will use a blended learning approach with final year BSc Biomedical Science students and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science at DMU that voluntarily enrol to receive formative training in these topics. This training consists of two sessions, which will be delivered in the first week of April 2019, when these volunteer students have completed the DMU e-Parasitology’s Parasite Cell Unit. The first session, mostly theoretical, will provide an overall description of how to work in a parasite culture unit in conjunction with explanatory mini-videos, in which students will be able to observe different parasites in culture conditions and specific 2D (clinical samples) and 3D (fixed culture samples) slides. Thus, students will be able to observe the morphological structures of the infectious forms of these pathogens in three formats: as culture (live and fixed) and in a human tissue sample. In the second session students will use a class II biological safety cabinet to manage human cells and perform routinely tasks such as grow, culture and count these cells. This paper will provide an overall description of these novel resources for teaching/learning parasite culture and their effectiveness for teaching these important laboratory skills to future healthcare professionals.Item Metadata only Translational blogging: a bidirectional communication between the class and society.(IATED, 2019-07-03) Magnet, A.; Fenoy, S.; Hurtado, C.; Ollero, M. D.; Nistal. E.; Angulo, S.; Laguna, R.; Jimenez, P.; Llinares, F.; Robas, M.; Pena-Fernandez, A.; Izquierdo, F.; del Aguila, C.; Pozuelo, M.J.Higher Education Students (HES) may find the lectures as something far away from their everyday life. Professors feel a big gap between themselves and their pupils. Furthermore, some students can find that subjects are not connected in between them and make close boxes of knowledge. To show them the great net of knowledge they can build, we have redesigned an old strategy, the use of blogs in education, to break that gap and increase student interest in the lectures. After the introduction of the Bologna Process in the European Higher Education Area, annual subjects have almost disappeared in behalf of shorter ones. This reduction might help the students pass their courses, but it brings up the problem of compartments in knowledge. Because of this, our project has been focused on the students of the Pharmacy Faculty which have 4 subjects associated to infectious diseases (ID) from 3rd to 6th semester (Microbiology, Parasitology, Immunology, and Biological Analysis) of a curriculum of 5 years (10 semesters). Technological gap is a reality in between students and teachers because the internet and technology are used in a different way. HES have grown in a world where social media is a part of them, sharing their daily life with pictures, videos or comments. We have therefore thought to use this enthusiasm to create a blog to share and associate the knowledge they acquire in our classes, with news they find related to ID. The blog is edited by teachers, but written by students named the “Infectious Gazzete”. Students have looked for information related to ID in different media. Once they have found attractive news, students have to practice their critical thinking and write a small blog entry containing a review of the subject using their lectures notes or books. By means of this activity, students can link the knowledge acquired in the lectures to the latest news in the field of ID. Before the entry is published in the blog, teachers play an editor role where the entry is sent back to students for improvement. Finally, the text is uploaded to the blog. As the blog entries are published in an open blog, their peers are able to read and discuss the news. Because this activity is carried out during 4 semesters, students are also able to have a global and up to date view of every aspect related to ID. Furthermore, students from other Universities (The Montfort University, UK) have joined our initiative contributing to the blog. A survey was carried to analyze students’ opinion on this initiative. Ninety-five students answer the survey with a mean age of 19,11 (± 2,11) years old. After statistically analyzing the results, the medians that favorably scored for the activity were for the statements: In general, I liked this activity. The realization of this activity is interesting and I consider that this project favors my Personal development. None negative impression was observed for any question. Overall our project has improved students’ interest in the different subjects that could be used to interconnect the different topics addressed in the lectures. Moreover, the use of the blog as an open platform, make students feel the responsibility of being well informed and read about a topic before open publishing. The exposure of students to this experience creates a platform where we introduce our subjects into an open discussion in students’ families and friends, increasing the attention and interest of infectious diseases in their everyday life.