A Brief History of Microbiology
he
1886: Theodore Escherich
describes a bacterium which
he called “bacterium coli
commune” and which was
later to be called Escherichia
Foundation
coli. A strain he isolated in 1920s: Selman
1886 is added to Waksman and Albert 1928: Alexander Fleming
the collection 1900: Almwroth Wright 1915: Isolation of the very Schatz lead a systematic accidentally discovers
upon its founding isolates NCTC 160 Salmonella first bacterial strain registered effort to screen soil 1930s: NCTC introduces
penicillin. He returns from
(NCTC 86). enterica subsp. enterica in the collection. NCTC 1 is bacteria for antimicrobial vacation and notices that a freeze-drying of samples
serotype Typhi from the a strain of Shigella flexneri compounds. NCTC later
1890: German scientist culture plate left lying out to ensure longevity and
spleen of a typhoid patient recovered from Private Ernst acquires the Streptomyces
Robert Koch provides proof of had become overgrown streamline storage and
during the Boer War. His Cable, a WWI soldier who griseus strain (NCTC 4523)
germ theory by injecting pure with staphylococci colonies, shipment.
Our understanding of 1887: Julius Petri invents cultures of the Anthrax bacilli
into mice.
wartime experiences later
lead him to
died from dysentery. It is
resistant to penicillin
from which they isolated
streptomycin. except
growing.where mold was
He explores further
persuade the
microbiology has evolved the agar-coated glass dish armed forces to
and erythromycin
1st after his former assistant
even though it was Merlin Price reminds him,
enormously over the last for culturing bacteria; earlier produce 10 million isolated before “That’s how you discovered 1930s: Fritz Kauffman and
attempts at culturing involved vaccine doses for the discovery of 1920: NCTC is
150 years. Few institutions potato slices WWI troops in antibiotics. established to “provide
lysozyme.” Over the next 20 Phillip White co-develop
a scheme for classifying
and gelatin. years, Fleming deposits 16
northern France.
have witnessed our a trustworthy source of samples with NCTC, salmonellae by serotype.
authentic bacteria for including a sample
collective progress more use in scientific studies.” of Haemophilus
Frederick William influenza isolated
closely than the National Andrewes deposits the from his own nose in
first cultures.
Collection of Type Cultures November 1935.
(NCTC). In fact, the
collection itself is a record
of the many milestones
microbiologists have
crossed, building on the
sh 1941: Howard Florey and
1977: Gilbert and Sanger Ernest Chain begin mass
discoveries of those who independently develop production of penicillin
methods to determine the with funds from the US
came before. exact sequence of DNA 1969: Don Brenner and colleagues
establish DNA hybridization as a more 1947: Edward Tatum and and British governments
molecules. reliable basis for classifying clinical Joshua Lederberg produce the after the bombing of Pearl
isolates of Enterobacteriaceae. He 1961: NCTC curator Samuel 1949: NCTC begins a 10- first gene map of E. coli K12 Harbor. By D-Day in 1944,
Cowan and Kenneth Steel (NCTC 10538). Despite being
To date, 60% of NCTC’s uses the new method to replace
publish ‘Diagnostic Tables for year effort to characterize every one of the most intensively
enough penicillin has
been produced to treat all
type strains with more representative
historic collection now has 1977: CDC researchers Joseph McDade and specimens and identify numerous new the Common Medical Bacteria’ organism in the collection. studied organisms in the 20th wounded Allied Forces.
Charles C. Shepard isolate Legionella microbial species, including Moellerella in the Journal of Hygiene. century, no one definitively
a closed, finished reference pneumophilia (NCTC 11230 and wisconsensis (NCTC 12132), Leminorella Demand is so great the journal knows why it is called “K12”.
reprints and distributes them in
genome, thanks to PacBio® 11192) as the bacterial pathogen
behind the outbreak of a new
grimontii (NCTC 12152), Enterobacter
asburiae (NCTC 12123), and Citrobacter pamphlet form. The work forms
the basis of Cowan & Steel’s
Single Molecule, Real- pulmonary disease at a convention in braakii (NCTC 13630).
Manual for the Identification 1953: Pioneering food 1947: NCTC focus shifts from 1942: Florey and Chain
Philadelphia.
Time (SMRT®) Sequencing. of Medical Bacteria, first
published in 1965 and a bench-
safety microbiologist a general microbial collection contribute three Bacillus
Betty Constance Hobbs to bacteria of medical or strains (NCTC 6431, 6432,
We are excited to be top staple for years to come. publishes a study establishing veterinary interest. and 6474) thought to
Clostridium perfringens as the produce ‘antibacterial
their partner in crossing cause of many outbreaks of substances active against
food poisoning. She eventually the Staphylococcus,’
this latest milestone on deposits more than 20 NCTC demonstrating the
their quest to improve strains of bacteria associated
with food-borne illness.
researchers were even
then seeking
human and animal health antibiotics
beyond
by understanding the penicillin.
microscopic world.
1981: The European
Culture Collections’ 1987: The first automated 2003: Cornell
Organization, of which DNA sequencing instrument, University scientists
invented by Lloyd Smith, is led by Watt Webb 2011: PacBio ships its first commercial
NCTC is a member, is
commercialized by Applied and Harold Craighead SMRT Sequencing system, introducing
established.
Biosystems. publish the first report scientists to the long-read sequencing 2014: NCTC and Wellcome Sanger
of using arrays of zero- platform that will ultimately become the gold Institute (WSI) launch a five-year
mode waveguides standard for generating complete, closed project to sequence 3,000 bacterial
for single-molecule microbial genomes. strains from the collection using PacBio
1982: Future Nobel Prize sequencing.
winner Barry Marshall drinks The largest recorded outbreak of foodborne sequencing technology.
a culture of the Helicobacter 1995: Craig Venter, Hamilton Smith, Claire hemolytic-uremic syndrome, eventually linked Sanger scientists
pylori (NCTC 11638 and Fraser, and colleagues at TIGR elucidate to German-grown sprouts, occurs in Europe. publish the genome
11639) to prove his theory the first complete genome sequence of a The organism responsible, a Shiga toxic E. coli of NCTC 1, generated with SMRT
that most microorganism, Haemophilus influenza, and (NCTC 13562). Sequencing, and compare it to other
stomach submit the sequence to NCBI. S. flexneri isolates collected in 1954, 2018: NCTC scientists Sarah
ulcers are 1984, and 2002. Alexander and Mohammed-
caused by Abbas Fazal complete the
www.pacb.com/microbe bacteria. extraction of DNA from more
than 3000 NCTC species and
samples are delivered to WSI
for sequencing using PacBio
technology.
PN: INF103-061919
