Giuseppe Brotzu

Giuseppe Brotzu ( born January 24, 1895 in Ghilarza; † 8 April 1976 in Cagliari ) was a Sardinian physicians and politicians. He discovered the fungus Acremonium chrysogenum ( Cephalosporium acremonium time ) and with this the land under antibiotics until today cephalosporins. As part of a program to eradicate malaria in Sardinia, he was a local politician and later mayor of the Sardinian capital Cagliari.

Life and work

Brotzu studied medicine in Siena in 1919 and received his college degree. From 1925 to 1932 he was a lecturer at the University of Bologna. In 1934 he was appointed professor of the Department of Hygiene at the University of Modena, where he remained until 1966. From 1936 to 1945 he was also rector of the University of Cagliari and acted as Commissioner for the National Health Service during the eradication campaign for the malaria parasite in Sardinia.

His major scientific achievement was the discovery of cephalosporin C as the first representative of the Cephalosprine in the mold Acremonium chrysogenum (formerly Cephalosporium acremonium ) in 1945. Brotzu took the Mediterranean water samples in the vicinity of a sewer system in the assumption that in polluted by various pathogens wastewater their natural enemies and usable antibiotics need to be found. In his sample he could Acremonium chrysogenum and shall demonstrate its antibacterial effect on Gram-negative bacteria such as Salmonella and Brucella melitensis. He published his results in little perceived magazine Lavori di dell'Istituto Igiene di Cagliari and sent the samples to the laboratory of pathology of the University of Oxford. There they were examined by Edward Abraham, who had already worked in a team of Nobel Laureate Howard Walter Florey. This has successfully isolated the cephalosporin C and used as an antibiotic. Giuseppe Brotzu was awarded an honorary doctorate at the University of Oxford for this discovery.

As part of the fight against malaria in Sardinia is Brotzu began especially for the draining of swamps and for modern agriculture in order to reduce the mosquito populations. He also dedicated himself to the fight against other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and contributed to the construction and modernization of hospitals, water works for a clean water supply, and the slaughterhouses at. 1955 to 1958 he was Chairman of the Region of Sardinia from 1960 to 1967 he was mayor of the city of Cagliari. Died in 1976 and Giuseppe Brotzu in his hometown.

Publications

• Ricerche su di un nuovo antibiotico. Lavori di dell'Istituto Igiene di Cagliari 1948 ( PDF)