Abigail A. Salyers

Abigail A. Salyers (1942 – 2013) was a microbiologist who pioneered the field of human microbiome research. Her work on the bacterial phylum ''Bacteroidetes'' and its ecology led to a better understanding of antibiotic resistance and mobile genetic elements. At a time when the prevailing paradigm was focused on ''E. coli'' as a model organism, Salyers emphasized the importance of investigating the breadth of microbial diversity. She was one of the first to conceptualize the human body as a microbial ecosystem. Over the course of her 40-year career, she was presented with numerous awards for teaching and research and an honorary degree from ETH Zurich, and served as president of the American Society for Microbiology. Provided by Wikipedia