SIMGBM intends to award the Giuseppina Cattani Prize to a/one distinguished Italian microbiologist (structured senior member), to recognizing merit, commitment and achievements in microbiological research throughout their professional career.

Nominations are proposed by at least three structured members of SIMGBM. Such nominations must be sent by one of the three proposing members, accompanied by a note signed by the proposers stating the reasons why they believe the candidate deserves the award, together with the candidate’s CV.

he prize will consist of a plaque depicting the effigy of Giuseppina Cattani and bearing the name of the winner and will be awarded at the sole discretion of the Society’s board of directors, which will decide on the matter by a majority vote of its members.

The award will be presented during the next SIMGBM Congress to be held in Rome, at the University of Roma Tre, September 17-20, 2025.

Nominations must be received via e-mail to the SIMGBM President’s e-mail address by July 1, 2025.

The winner will be notified in writing by August 1, 2025, and the results will be posted at www.simgbm.it.

GIUSEPPINA CATTANI

Born in Imola on May 26, 1859, Giuseppina Cattani graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Bologna in 1884. Immediately after graduation, she began working in the Institute of General Pathology at that university.

During her years as an assistant to Professor Tizzoni, Dr. Cattani devoted herself passionately to research in the then burgeoning field of Microbiology. In that field, she was notable for a series of works she carried out on Clostridium tetani, which enabled her to link her name to the first pure culture isolation of the microorganism and the first experiments in serotherapy of the disease it caused. The ability to isolate and cultivate C. tetani was the premise for a whole series of studies and research that provided valuable knowledge about the biological characteristics of the microorganism.

These studies concerning the morphological and biological characteristics of the bacillus were followed by those on the immunology of tetanus, which made it possible to identify under the term antitoxin the substance to which the serum of animals made immune against tetanus owes its power to render the toxin harmless and to successfully prepare antitetanus serum.

Giuseppina Cattani died in Imola on December 9, 1914.