Following Francois Bourdichon’s request, here is the super-interesting story of Cronobacter sakazakii.

This bacteria was first isolated in 1961.

Initially, it was named “yellow-pigmented Enterobacter cloacae“ within the genus Enterobacter.

It was not until 1980 that the strain was named Enterobacter sakazakii, in honor of the Japanese microbiologist Riichi Sakazaki.

In 2007, DNA-based phylogenetic analyses showed that Enterobacter sakazakii should not be included in the genus Enterobacter.

Consequently, the genus Cronobacter, was created.

But why was the name Cronobacter chosen?

Spoiler: It’s a sad story.

This name was given in reference to a character from Greek mythology, Cronos (Kronos). Cronos used to eat his children at birth… symbolizing the fact that this bacterium is a very aggressive pathogen for young children.

But why did Cronos devour his children at birth?
A bit of mythology in the middle of… microbiology!

In Greek mythology, Cronos (or Kronos) had to devour his children at birth because of a prophecy.

This prophecy foretold that one of his own children would overthrow him, just as he had overthrown his own father, Uranus.

Fearing the loss of his power, Cronos swallowed each of his children immediately after they were born.

However, his wife, Rhea, wanting to save their youngest son, Zeus, tricked Cronos by giving him a swaddled stone to swallow instead of the baby.

Zeus was raised in secret, and once he grew up, he forced Cronos to regurgitate his siblings.

Together, they led a rebellion that brought about the downfall of Cronos and the Titans, paving the way for the reign of the Olympian gods.

It just goes to show—you can’t escape a prophecy!

Cronobacter sakazakii is now one species among the others of the genus. The ISO Standard (ISO 22964) is now for the detection of Cronobacter spp. (all species are considered to be pathogenic)

What strain do you want next?