the antifungal bacteria used to create nystatin were found in a soil sample from a dairy farm near Casanova
Source: Virginia Chronicle, Fauquier Democrat (November 3, 1955, p.1)
A valuable antifungal drug was discovered in the soil of a farm in Fauquier County. After doctors and microbiologists cultured bacteria to develop penicillin and streptomycin, two women in New York state collected and tested soil samples to screen for antibiotic properties. A microbiologist mailed soil samples to a biochemist, and she exposed pathogenic fungi to the samples.
One sample collected on a dairy farm owned by William Nourse near Canova in Fauquier County contained bacteria that effectively countered the Candida albicans yeast that caused thrush, as well as other infectious fungal agents.
The bacteria was named Streptomyces noursei, and from it the drug nystatin was developed. It is still prescribed for treatment today. The name of the drug honors the state of New York, where the two women collaborated.1
the antifungal bacteria used to create nystatin were found in a soil sample from a dairy farm near Casanova
Source: Virginia Chronicle, Fauquier Democrat (November 3, 1955, p.1)