Rebecca Lancefield
Encyclopedia
Rebecca Craighill Lancefield (January 5, 1895 – March 3, 1981) was a prominent American
microbiologist
. She joined the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research
in New York in 1918, and was associated with that institute throughout her long and outstanding career. Her bibliography comprises more than 50 publications published over 60 years. Her main achievements lie in her work on group A streptococci and their association with rheumatic fever
. She is most famous for her serological
classification of beta-hemolytic
streptococcal bacteria
, which is based on the carbohydrate
composition of bacteria
l antigen
s found on their cell wall
s. The Lancefield classification system is still used internationally today.
, Staten Island
, New York
. She was educated at Wellesley College, Massachusetts
and Columbia University
, New York. At Columbia, she received her Ph.D.
in 1925. Eventually, she became professor
of microbiology
at Columbia University from 1958-1965. In 1943, she was the second woman to become president of the Society of American Bacteriologists. In 1961, she became president of the American Association of Immunologists, the first woman to be president of that Association. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1970. In 1973, she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science
(honoris causa
) by Columbia University.
has been used by her fellow scientists for decades and was
published on Science FridayScience Friday http://www.sciencefriday.com/newsbriefs/read/187 "Dr. Rebecca Lancefield's Eggnog Recipe" in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
microbiologist
Microbiologist
A microbiologist is a scientist who works in the field of microbiology. Microbiologists study organisms called microbes. Microbes can take the form of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists...
. She joined the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
in New York in 1918, and was associated with that institute throughout her long and outstanding career. Her bibliography comprises more than 50 publications published over 60 years. Her main achievements lie in her work on group A streptococci and their association with rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain, the illness typically develops two to three weeks after...
. She is most famous for her serological
Serology
Serology is the scientific study of blood serum and other bodily fluids. In practice, the term usually refers to the diagnostic identification of antibodies in the serum...
classification of beta-hemolytic
Hemolysis (microbiology)
Hemolysis is the breakdown of red blood cells. The ability of bacterial colonies to induce hemolysis when grown on blood agar is used to classify certain microorganisms. This is particularly useful in classifying streptococcal species...
streptococcal bacteria
Streptococcus
Streptococcus is a genus of spherical Gram-positive bacteria belonging to the phylum Firmicutes and the lactic acid bacteria group. Cellular division occurs along a single axis in these bacteria, and thus they grow in chains or pairs, hence the name — from Greek στρεπτος streptos, meaning...
, which is based on the carbohydrate
Carbohydrate
A carbohydrate is an organic compound with the empirical formula ; that is, consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with a hydrogen:oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 . However, there are exceptions to this. One common example would be deoxyribose, a component of DNA, which has the empirical...
composition of bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
l antigen
Antigen
An antigen is a foreign molecule that, when introduced into the body, triggers the production of an antibody by the immune system. The immune system will then kill or neutralize the antigen that is recognized as a foreign and potentially harmful invader. These invaders can be molecules such as...
s found on their cell wall
Cell wall
The cell wall is the tough, usually flexible but sometimes fairly rigid layer that surrounds some types of cells. It is located outside the cell membrane and provides these cells with structural support and protection, and also acts as a filtering mechanism. A major function of the cell wall is to...
s. The Lancefield classification system is still used internationally today.
Biography
She was born at Fort WadsworthFort Wadsworth
Fort Wadsworth is a former United States military installation on Staten Island in New York City, situated on The Narrows which divide New York Bay into Upper and Lower halves, a natural point for defense of the Upper Bay and Manhattan beyond. Prior to closing in 1994 it claimed to be the longest...
, Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She was educated at Wellesley College, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, New York. At Columbia, she received her Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1925. Eventually, she became professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
at Columbia University from 1958-1965. In 1943, she was the second woman to become president of the Society of American Bacteriologists. In 1961, she became president of the American Association of Immunologists, the first woman to be president of that Association. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1970. In 1973, she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
(honoris causa
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
) by Columbia University.
Classification
- Group A - Streptococcus pyogenesStreptococcus pyogenesStreptococcus pyogenes is a spherical, Gram-positive bacterium that is the cause of group A streptococcal infections. S. pyogenes displays streptococcal group A antigen on its cell wall. S...
- Group B - Streptococcus agalactiaeStreptococcus agalactiaeStreptococcus agalactiae is a beta-hemolytic Gram-positive streptococcus.- Identification :The CAMP test is an important test for identification...
- Group C - Streptococcus equisimilisStreptococcus equisimilisStreptococcus equisimilis is a species of Streptococcus....
, Streptococcus equi, Streptococcus zooepidemicusStreptococcus zooepidemicusStreptococcus zooepidemicus is a species of Streptococcus....
, Streptococcus dysgalactiaeStreptococcus dysgalactiaeStreptococcus dysgalactiae is a species of Streptococcus.Streptococcus dysgalactiae is known to cause mastitis in cows, ewes and goat does and polyarthritis in lambs.... - Group D - EnterococciEnterococcusEnterococcus is a genus of lactic acid bacteria of the phylum Firmicutes. Enterococci are Gram-positive cocci that often occur in pairs or short chains, and are difficult to distinguish from streptococci on physical characteristics alone. Two species are common commensal organisms in the...
, Streptococcus bovisStreptococcus bovisStreptococcus bovis is a catalase- and oxidase-negative, non-motile, non-sporulating, Gram-positive lactic acid bacterium that grows as pairs or chains of cocci. It is a member of the Lancefield group D streptococci. Most strains are non- or gamma-hemolytic, but some also display alpha-hemolytic... - Group E - Streptococcus milleri and mutansStreptococcus mutansStreptococcus mutans is a facultatively aerobic, Gram-positive coccus-shaped bacterium commonly found in the human oral cavity and is a significant contributor to tooth decay.The microbe was first described by J Kilian Clarke in 1924.-Introduction:...
- Group F - Streptococcus anginosusStreptococcus anginosusStreptococcus anginosus is a species of Streptococcus.Together with Streptococcus constellatus and Streptococcus intermedius they constitute the anginosus group, which is sometimes also referred to as the milleri group after the previously assumed single but later refuted species Streptococcus...
- Group G - Streptococcus canisStreptococcus canisStreptococcus canis is a species of Streptococcus. This group G antigen pyogenic species was first isolated from dogs and cattle, but other mammals have been found to be sources....
- Group H - Streptococcus sanguis
- Group L - Streptococcus dysgalactiaeStreptococcus dysgalactiaeStreptococcus dysgalactiae is a species of Streptococcus.Streptococcus dysgalactiae is known to cause mastitis in cows, ewes and goat does and polyarthritis in lambs....
- Group N - Lactococcus lactisLactococcus lactisLactococcus lactis is a Gram-positive bacterium used extensively in the production of buttermilk and cheese, but has recently also become famous as the first genetically modified organism to be used alive for the treatment of human disease. L...
- Group R&S - Streptococcus suisStreptococcus suisStreptococcus suis is a peanut-shaped, Gram-positive bacterium, and an important pathogen of pigs. Endemic in nearly all countries with an extensive pig industry, S. suis is also a zoonotic disease, capable of transmission to humans from pigs. Humans can be infected with S...
- other StreptococcusStreptococcusStreptococcus is a genus of spherical Gram-positive bacteria belonging to the phylum Firmicutes and the lactic acid bacteria group. Cellular division occurs along a single axis in these bacteria, and thus they grow in chains or pairs, hence the name — from Greek στρεπτος streptos, meaning...
species are classified as non-Lancefield Streptococci
Applied Bacteriology
Dr. Lancefield's recipe for eggnogEggnog
Eggnog, or egg nog, is a sweetened dairy-based beverage traditionally made with milk and/or cream, sugar, beaten eggs , and liquor...
has been used by her fellow scientists for decades and was
published on Science FridayScience Friday http://www.sciencefriday.com/newsbriefs/read/187 "Dr. Rebecca Lancefield's Eggnog Recipe" in 2008.