Friedrich August Johannes Loeffler (; 24 June 18529 April 1915) was a German

bacteriologist A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology -- a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learning about bacteria, ...

at the

University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; german: Universität Greifswald), formerly also known as “Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald“, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pom ...

Biography

He obtained his M.D. degree from the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

in 1874. He worked with

Robert Koch Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch ( , ; 11 December 1843 – 27 May 1910) was a German physician and microbiologist. As the discoverer of the specific causative agents of deadly infectious diseases including tuberculosis, cholera (though the bacteri ...

from 1879 to 1884

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

, '' Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology'', 2nd Revised edition as an assistant in the Imperial Health Office in Berlin. In 1884, he became staff physician at the Friedrich Wilhelm Institute in Berlin, and four years later became professor at the University of Greifswald. His development of original methods of

staining Staining is a technique used to enhance contrast in samples, generally at the microscopic level. Stains and dyes are frequently used in histology (microscopic study of biological tissues), in cytology (microscopic study of cells), and in th ...

rendered an important and lasting service to bacteriology. Early in his career, he began a study of

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

diseases. Among his discoveries was the organism causing

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

(''

Corynebacterium diphtheriae ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae'' is the pathogenic bacterium that causes diphtheria. It is also known as the Klebs–Löffler bacillus, because it was discovered in 1884 by German bacteriologists Edwin Klebs (1834–1912) and Friedrich Löff ...

'') and the cause of

foot-and-mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, follo ...

(

Aphthovirus ''Aphthovirus'' (from the Greek -, vesicles in the mouth) is a viral genus of the family ''Picornaviridae''. Aphthoviruses infect split-hooved animals, and include the causative agent of foot-and-mouth disease, ''Foot-and-mouth disease virus'' ...

). His description of the diphtheria bacillus, published in 1884, was the originating cause of an antitoxin treatment. He also created Löffler's serum, a coagulated blood serum used for the detection of the bacteria. In 1887, he founded the ''

Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie und Parasitik The ''International Journal of Medical Microbiology'', formerly the ''Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie'', is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering research on microbiology published by Elsevier. It was established in 1887 by Friedrich Loeffler. T ...

''. The Friedrich Loeffler Institute on the Isle of Riems near

Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (german: Universitäts- und Hansestadt Greifswald, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rosto ...

, as well as th
Friedrich Loeffler Institute of Medical Microbiology
at the

Greifswald Medical School Greifswald Medical School (german: Medizinische Fakultät der Universität Greifswald) is a division of the University of Greifswald, Germany, consisting of the university's medical school and the adjacent Greifswald University Hospital. Its roots ...

of the

, have been named in his honor.

Notes

References

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External links

www.fli.bund.de
erman Federal Research Institute for Animal Health {{DEFAULTSORT:Loeffler, Friedrich August Johannes 1852 births 1915 deaths German microbiologists University of Greifswald faculty People from Frankfurt (Oder) People from the Province of Brandenburg Diphtheria