* I get emails…

HI,

Passing through the senate today is a bill (HB 1879) that honors the discovery of the mold in Illinois that was the precursor of the one used to make the penicillin antibiotic for WW2 is used even today. The bill is to designate Penicillium rubens as Illinois state Microbe. This mold was discovered on a cantaloupe found in a down town Peoria, IL market during the early part of WW2. Earlier, a mold brought from Britain to Peoria wasn’t productive enough so mold samples were collected from around the world to screen them for greater production of penicillin. Of those the Peoria mold was selected to produce the life saving drug that saved thousands of military lives during WW2 and millions since. A recent program on Public TV (Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer: Medicine) mentioned that penicillin was equal to the atomic bomb in importance. We are past due to have this mold as our state microbe.

Other states, such as Oregon and New Jersey already have named theirs. New Jersey’s mold is of particular interest because it was the second mold (Streptomyces griseus) to produce the important antibiotic, streptomycin. The initial mass production work to make this antibiotic and other antibiotics was done in Illinois at Peoria. Streptomycin is considered as the second most important antibiotic discovered. Penicillin is considered as number one. All the discoveries found to mass produce penicillin allowed other antibiotics to be produced likewise. It’s time that penicillin is recognized for its importance.

The current bill in the statehouse to name an Illinois state microbe has some history. It was first SB 1857 an introduced in the 2019 Spring Session of the Illinois Senate. A recent analysis DNA done found that the species (chrysogenum) was incorrect. Initial classification had been done as to the physical structure of the mold. It was now to be Penicillium rubens. So a correction was done to the bill’s wording. That slowed the bill’s passing through each state house and it didn’t pass in the 2019 Spring Session. In November of 2019, the bill was on the docket during the Fall Veto Session. It didn’t make it to the floor. The 2020 Pandemic Spring Session also saw no progress. Dual new bills were introduced in the 2021 Spring Sessions of the IL Senate and IL House. They were SB 2004 and HB 1879. The House bill is currently the official bill. As previously said, it is now in the Senate for a second reading. Time is short for it to get passed through the House and on to the Governor’s desk sometime this summer.

The historical work done here in the great state of Illinois on penicillin has impacted the health of all people in the world. It’s past time for a state microbe.

Gary Kuzniar
Co-Chair
Illinois State Microbe Designation Project

The bill designates Penicillium rubens NRRL 1951 as Illinois’ official state microbe.

That’s quite a mouthful. Can we give it a nickname?

*** UPDATE *** Passed the Senate…