David Gottlieb (biologist)

David Gottlieb
Born1911
Died1982
NationalityAmerican
Known forisolation strain of Streptomyces
Scientific career
FieldsPhytopathology
InstitutionsUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Doctoral studentsFu-Kuen Lin

David Gottlieb (1911–1982), a professor of plant pathology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1946–1982), was a pioneer in the field of fungal physiology and antibiotics for plants.

Gottlieb is best known for isolation in the 1940s of the strain of Streptomyces from which chloramphenicol was developed,[1] for his mentoring in the field, and for his editorial work.[2] He used plant-pathogenic fungi in studies of sterol biosynthesis, respiration, aging, spore germination, and the mechanism of action of antifungal antibiotics. Gottlieb discovered or co-discovered several new antibiotics in addition to chloramphenicol, including filipin, levomycin, and tetrin, and he described the mechanism of action and biosynthesis of several of these and other antibiotics.[3]

  1. ^ "Nov 2004 Phytopathology News, Vol. 38, No. 11, p.154" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-07-12.
  2. ^ Editor for the Annual Review of Phytopathology, 1969-1974
  3. ^ P. D. Shaw and R. E. Ford. Obituary: David Gottlieb, 1911-1982. Phytopathology 1983, page 32.