Semina morbi o semillas de enfermedad / Semina morbi or seeds of disease

Resumen Ya en la antigüedad existía la idea de que pequeñísimos animales o insectos podían causar enfermedades al ser ingeridos o respirados. En forma paralela, varios filósofos desarrollaron el concepto de semillas para explicar la composición del mundo. Ambos conceptos fueron amalgamados en la genial idea de semillas de enfermedad que fue difundida en el célebre poema del filósofo epicúreo Lucrecio denominado "De rerum natura" o "Sobre la naturaleza de las cosas". La idea fue refinada en el Renacimiento por el destacado médico renacentista Gerónimo Fracastorius con sus famosas semina morbi (semillas de enfermedad) que explicaban el contagio. La teoría germinal de los microbios del s. XIX no hizo más que adjudicarle a esta idea ya milenaria un substrato material.

Abstract Already in ancient times there was the idea that tiny animals or insects could cause diseases when ingested or breathed. In parallel, several philosophers developed the concept of seeds to explain the composition of the world. Both concepts were amalgamated in the brilliant idea of seeds of disease that was spread in the famous poem "De rerum natura" by the Epicurean philosopher Lucretius. The idea was refined in the Renaissance by the prominent physician Girolamo Fracastorius with his famous semina morbi (seeds of disease) that explained contagion. The germinal theory of microbes of the s. XIX did nothing more than assign to this already millenary idea a material substratum.

How has microbiology changed 200 years after Pasteur's birth?

The last two centuries have seen major scientific and technological advances that have turned the field of microbiology upside down. If Louis Pasteur came out of his vault to celebrate his two hundredth birthday with us, would he recognize the field of study of which he was one of the founders? Are the objectives of the discipline still the same? What is the influence of new technologies on our scientific approach? What are the new horizons and future challenges?

Les deux derniers siècles ont connu des avancées scientifiques et technologiques majeures qui ont bouleversé le domaine de la microbiologie. Si Louis Pasteur sortait de son caveau pour fêter ses deux ans en notre compagnie, reconnaitrait-il le champ d'étude dont il est l'un des fondateurs ? Les objectifs de la discipline sont-ils toujours les mêmes ? Quelle est l'influence des nouvelles technologies sur notre démarche scientifique ? Quels sont les nouveaux horizons et futurs défis à relever ?

Louis Pasteur: the child is father of the man.

I attempt in this essay to shed new light on the origins of Louis Pasteur's uniquely progressive mind and spirit and the various factors in his background and upbringing that shaped them. There is, however, very limited documentation on the early period of Pasteur's life, apart from his son-in-law's (René Vallery-Radot) biographical account, and this is considered by many as more akin to a work of hagiography. We do have, on the other hand, Pasteur's correspondence with his parents and sisters as compiled and annotated by his grandson, Louis Pasteur Vallery-Radot. Using these limited sources, combined with what we know about Pasteur's home environment and early education, his cultural influences (like the books he read), and his drawings and etchings, I have attempted in this essay to hypothesize regarding the influences during Pasteur's childhood, adolescence, and very early adult years as a scientist and how they contributed to the formation of Pasteur's mind and spirit, while fully acknowledging the extent to which this is based on indirect evidence and, occasionally, outright speculation.

J'essaie dans cet essai d'apporter un éclairage nouveau sur les origines de l'esprit progressiste unique de Pasteur et sur les divers facteurs de son passé et de son éducation qui les ont façonnés. Il existe cependant très peu de documentation sur les débuts de la vie de Pasteur, à l'exception du récit biographique de son gendre (René Vallery-Radot), qui est considéré par beaucoup comme un ouvrage d'hagiographie. En revanche, nous disposons de la correspondance de Pasteur avec ses parents et ses sœurs, compilée et annotée par son petit-fils, Louis Pasteur Vallery-Radot. En utilisant ces sources limitées, combinées avec ce que nous savons de l'environnement familial et de l'éducation précoce de Pasteur, de ses influences culturelles (comme les livres qu'il lisait), et de ses dessins et gravures, j'ai tenté dans cet essai de formuler des hypothèses concernant les influences de l'enfance, de l'adolescence et des toutes premières années d'adulte de Pasteur en tant que scientifique et comment elles ont contribué à la formation de l'esprit de Pasteur, tout en reconnaissant pleinement la mesure dans laquelle cela est basé sur des preuves indirectes et, parfois, des spéculations pures et simples.

Pasteur and "motivated" research.

Pasteur's originality in the way he developed pure research is to have understood the importance, for society, of the underlying motivation. Curiosity, of course, is a strong motivation, which explains why we seek to understand the origin of life. But, in front of the immensity of the possible choices, why not, also, choose to start from questions of economic interest (diseases of beer and wine, diseases affecting the silk industry ...) Finally, of course, health is a constant preoccupation, but the diseases, which have no borders, often come from tropical countries and Asia especially. It is therefore necessary to settle there, but not to come and impose one's point of view, but on the contrary to use the knowledge coming from the local culture in order to open new ways of understanding the reality of the world.

L'originalité de Pasteur dans sa façon de développer la recherche pure est d'avoir compris l'importance, pour la société, de la motivation sous-jacente. La curiosité, bien sûr, est une motivation forte, qui explique pourquoi nous cherchons à comprendre l'origine de la vie. Mais, devant l'immensité des choix possibles, pourquoi ne pas, aussi, choisir de partir de questions d'intérêt économique (maladies de la bière et du vin, maladies affectant l'industrie de la soie ...) Enfin, bien sûr, la santé est une préoccupation constante, mais les maladies, qui n'ont pas de frontières, viennent souvent des pays tropicaux et de l'Asie spécialement. Il est donc nécessaire de s'y installer, mais pas pour venir imposer son point de vue, mais au contraire pour utiliser les connaissances issues de la culture locale afin d'ouvrir de nouvelles voies de compréhension de la réalité du monde.

Pasteur the Arboisien.

Louis Pasteur was born in Dole on December 27, 1822. The Pasteur family left the town of Dole in August 1825. After five years in Marnoz, Jean-Joseph Pasteur rented a tannery in Arbois in 1830.In the 1831 register of house visits, he is mentioned at 83 rue de Courcelles: "Pasteur Jean-Joseph, tanner, age 39, from Besançon. Jeanne Etiennette Roqui his wife, 37 years old, from Marnoz 4 children: Jeanne-Antoine 11 years old. Louis 9 years old. Joséphine 5 years old. Emilie 3 years old. A worker, Eloy Dole, 25 years old, from Poligny". At that time, Arbois and its suburbs had nearly 7000 inhabitants. The young Pasteur first attended the mutual education school and then the municipal college. After failing in Paris in 1838 to prepare for the baccalaureate, Pasteur studied rhetoric in Arbois and then, in 1839, at the royal college in Besançon. In 1842, Pasteur entered the École normale supérieure. In 1849 he became a professor at the faculty of Strasbourg, 1854 professor and dean of the new faculty of sciences of Lille, 1857 Pasteur was at the Ecole normale supérieure as administrator and director of scientific studies.In spite of his high functions, Pasteur and his family always came back to Arbois, it was a return to their roots."If there is no Arbois, there is no Pasteur," said the writer and academician Erik Orsenna.

Louis Pasteur est né à Dole le 27 décembre 1822. La famille Pasteur quitte la ville de Dole en août 1825. Après cinq années à Marnoz Jean-Joseph Pasteur loue une tannerie à Arbois en 1830.Sur le cahier des visites domiciliaires de 1831, il est mentionné au 83 rue de Courcelles : « Pasteur Jean-Joseph, tanneur, âgé de 39 ans, originaire de Besançon. Jeanne Etiennette Roqui son épouse, âgée de 37 ans, originaire de Marnoz 4 enfants : Jeanne-Antoine 11 ans. Louis 9 ans. Joséphine 5 ans. Emilie 3 ans. Un ouvrier Eloy Dole âgé de 25 ans, originaire de Poligny ¼. À cette époque Arbois et ses faubourgs comptent près de 7000 habitants. Le jeune Pasteur suit d'abord de l'école d'enseignement mutuel puis du collège municipal. Après l'échec parisien de 1838 pour préparer la baccalauréat, Pasteur fait sa rhétorique à Arbois puis à la rentrée de 1839 c'est le collège royal de Besançon. En 1842, Pasteur entre à l'École normale supérieure. En 1849 il devient professeur à la faculté de Strasbourg, 1854 professeur et Doyen de la nouvelle faculté des sciences de Lille, 1857 Pasteur est à l'Ecole normale supérieure comme administrateur et directeur des études scientifiques.Malgré ses hautes fonctions, Pasteur et sa famille reviennent toujours à Arbois, c'est le retour aux sources.« S'il n'y a pas Arbois, il n'y a pas Pasteur ¼ a évoqué l'écrivain et académicien Erik Orsenna.

Dr. Abolghasem Bahrami (1894­1950): Physician, Pasteurian, and a Pioneer of Microbiology and Public Health Planning in Iran

Dr. Abolghasem Bahrami was among the generation of Iranian scientists in the early twentieth century who gained most of their knowledge through resources available inside the country. Educated at Dar-ul-Funun Medical School, he was a physician with a great talent in learning, especially self-teaching natural sciences and European languages. He joined the Pasteur Institute of Iran (IPI) at the early days of its foundation and became an integral contributor to this institution during the first twenty-five years of its mission. One of his first assignments at IPI was to help initiating an anti-rabies department by bringing back the rabies vaccine and its manufacturing equipment from Institut Pasteur of Paris. During his IPI years, aside from managerial tasks, he actively participated in upgrading the medical treatments and protocols used for controlling many infectious diseases. He functioned twice as the provisional director of IPI (1925-1926 and 1937-1946) and is considered as the first Iranian director of the Institute. Meanwhile, Dr. Bahrami was a significant contributor to the public health system and assumed several responsibilities such as Chief Quarantine Medical Officer, Chief of Public Health, and the Head of Public Health Administration, in order to improve public health planning throughout the country.

Secretos detectados de la naturaleza por Antoine van Leeuwenhoek / Detected secrets for nature by Antoine van Leeuwenhoek

Resumen Una de las obras, probablemente menos conocidas, de Antoine van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) es su Arcana naturae detecta (Secretos detectados de la naturaleza) publicada en su primera edición en 1695. Esta obra es una recopilación de 38 cartas sobre temas científicos y está bellamente ilustrada. Una sección notable de ella es la observación y descripción por primera vez de levaduras de la fermentación y sus experimentos sobre la generación espontánea de microorganismos.

Abstract One of the works, probably less known, of Antoine van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) is his Arcana naturae detecta (Detected secrets of nature) published in its first edition in 1695. This work is a compilation of 38 letters on scientific issues and it is beautifully illustrated. A notable section of the work is the observation and description for the first time of fermentation yeasts and his experiments on the spontaneous generation of microorganisms.

Clinical microbiology laboratories and COVID-19: an interview with Joseph Blondeau.

This interview was conducted by Atiya Henry, Commissioning Editor of Future Microbiology. Joseph M Blondeau, MSc, PhD, RSM(CCM), SM(AAM), SM(ASCP), FCCP is a Clinical Microbiologist and Head of Clinical Microbiology at Royal University Hospital (Saskatoon Health Region) and the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada. He is also the Provincial Clinical Lead for Microbiology in Saskatchewan, Canada. He holds a Masters of Sciences in Microbiology from Dalhousie University (1985) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Microbiology from the University of Manitoba (1989). Following completion of his PhD, he completed an 1-month post-doctoral training in an infectious diseases research laboratory at Dalhousie University and following which he completed a 2-year post-doctoral residency training program in Clinical Microbiology, also at Dalhousie University. He holds appointments as a Clinical Associate Professor of Pathology, Adjunct Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology. He teaches to undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of microbiology, infectious diseases, antimicrobial agents and pharmacology. Dr Blondeau's main research interests are in the area of antimicrobial agents and antimicrobial resistance, clinical microbiology and clinical outcomes associated with antimicrobial therapy in both human and veterinary medicine.

Historical Perspective: Metchnikoff and the intestinal microbiome.

Metchnikoff's essay, Intestinal Bacteriotherapy, was written when the study of microbiology was still in its infancy and few intestinal diseases had been ascribed to a specific bacterial infection. Metchnikoff offered perceptive ideas that have become standard in today's science. This Historical Perspectives commentary examines how Metchnikoff's article influenced our field. An accompanying editorial by Siamon Gordon explores this topic further and describes the relevance of Metchnikoff's work to the current Covid-19 infection. We also include a translation of this fundamental article by Metchnikoff, as presented by Claudine Neyen.

Dr Joseph Dudley 'Benjy' Benjafield: Microbiologist, soldier and Bentley Boy racing driver.

Dr Joseph Dudley 'Benjy' Benjafield qualified from University College Hospital Medical School, London in 1912. He joined the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War I and was in charge of the 37th Mobile Bacteriological Laboratory serving with the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force when the Spanish flu struck in late 1918. He observed the features and clinical course of the pandemic and published his findings in the British Medical Journal in 1919. On return to civilian life, he was appointed as Consultant physician to St George's Hospital, Hyde Park Corner, London where he remained in practice for the rest of his career. He was a respected amateur gentleman racing driver frequently racing at the Brooklands circuit from 1924 after buying a Bentley 3-litre and entering the Le Mans 24 h race seven times between 1925 and 1935, winning in 1927. He was one of an elite club of young men known as The Bentley Boys and went on to become a founding member of the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) in 1927. He rejoined the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War II, serving briefly again in Egypt. He died in 1957.

A Tribute to a Bacillus thuringiensis Master: Professor David J. Ellar.

This Special Issue, on Bacillus thuringiensis and its toxins, seems to be the right place to pay tribute to one of the most influential scientists in the field of research into this peculiar bacterium [...].

Leeuwenhoek y sus animálculos / Leeuwenhoek and his little animals

Resumen Antoine van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) fue un comerciante de telas holandés y microscopista autodidacta, a quien se le considera el padre de la Microbiología. Sus sorprendentes lentes y agudas observaciones microscópicas durante casi cinco décadas posibilitaron por primera vez desentrañar los secretos del microcosmos. Este trabajo de investigación tiene como objetivo principal que el lector pueda acceder de manera directa a algunas de sus famosas cartas dirigidas a la Sociedad Real de Londres, anunciando el descubrimiento de sus celebérrimos animálculos.

Abstract Antoine van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) was a Dutch cloth merchant and self-taught microscopist who is considered the father of Microbiology. His marvellous lenses and keen microscopic observations over nearly five decades made it possible for the first time to unravel the secrets of the microcosm. The main objective of this work is that the reader can directly access some of his famous letters addressed to the Royal Society of London, announcing the discovery of his famous little animals.

The van Niel International Prize for Studies in Bacterial Systematics, awarded in 2020 to Tanja Woyke.

The Senate of The University of Queensland, on the recommendation of the Executive Board of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes, is pleased to present the van Niel International Prize for Studies in Bacterial Systematics for the triennium 2017-2020 to Dr Tanja Woyke in recognition of her contributions made to the field of bacterial systematics. The award, established in 1986 by Professor V. B. D. Skerman of The University of Queensland, honours the contribution of scholarship in the field of microbiology by Professor Cornelis Bernardus van Niel.

Pioneering women of microbiology in Spain.

Presented herein are the trajectories of four women who can be considered pioneers of microbiology in Spain. Three of them have been studied before, but never presented as pioneers of microbiology, and their lives are briefly reviewed: Zoe Rosinach Pedrol, a pioneering microbiologist in the health care field; Isabel Torán del Carré, in the agri-food sector; and Luz Zalduegui Gabilondo in the veterinary sciences. Nevertheless, Trinidad del Pan Arana is presented from the first time as pioneering microbiologist in the natural sciences area. All of these women developed their professional activity during the first third of the twentieth century, contributing to the establishment of microbiology as a new scientific discipline in Spain.