Sydney M. Finegold, M.D.

Sydney M. Finegold, M.D., is the recipient of the 1999 Becton Dickinson and Company Award in Clinical Microbiology. This award, also the Division C Award, honors a distinguished microbiologist identified with clinical microbiology and is based on outstanding research accomplishments leading to or forming the foundation for important applications in clinical microbiology. This award is sponsored by Becton Dickinson Microbiology Systems, a division of Becton Dickinson and Company. 

Dr. Finegold received his A.B. from UCLA and his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. He is currently Staff Physician, Infectious Disease Section, Wadsworth Veterans Administration Hospital, and Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology at UCLA. According to Dr. David W. Hecht, Dr. Finegold's nominator, "Dr. Finegold has dedicated his life to the pursuit of knowledge in the broad field of anaerobic bacteriology, taxonomy, clinical relevance, and treatment to advance science and relieve human suffering." 

Dr. Finegold, a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, began his career working on the human gut flora and its impact on health and disease. He conducted many studies of fecal flora which led to investigations of the role of anaerobes in the blind loop syndrome and the effects of diet on fecal flora. This work advanced our knowledge of the effects of surgery, pharmaceuticals, and other factors in the development of disease as a result of the alteration of bowel flora. Dr. Finegold and his colleagues later verified the work of John G. Bartlett, et al., which identified Clostridium difficile as the offending agent of pseudomembranous colitis, which is one of the most important causes of nosocomial disease associated with morbidity and mortality. Dr. Finegold and his group developed a selective medium for C. difficile and noted environmental contamination with this organism in a hospital setting. 

Dr. Hecht remarked, "Dr. Finegold's contribution to microbiology and clinical medicine with regard to gram-negative anaerobes is so extensive it is difficult to chronicle. He and his co-workers at the Wadsworth Anaerobe Laboratory have doggedly pursued the anaerobic causes of infectious diseases, identifying the need for optimal anaerobic conditions, developed and modified various media and additives on which to grow all anaerobes, performed detailed microbiological studies resulting in the identification and reporting of new species, and have reclassified organisms into new genera." This research has been funded by the VA for over 35 years and has provided a better understanding of the role of anaerobes in pulmonary, intraabdominal, liver, bone, pediatric, and bite wound infections. 

As Chair of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards Working Group on Susceptibility Testing of Anaerobes, Dr. Finegold developed methods for determining the antimicrobial susceptibility of these organisms. These methods are now used worldwide and nearly all new antimicrobials are evaluated for activity against anaerobes by Dr. Finegold and his laboratory.  His career is well-documented with over 600 publications, more than 100 review articles, 35 books authored or edited, more than 170 book chapters, and countless abstracts. Dr. Finegold has 20 honorary faculty appointments and has received the Veterans Administration Middleton Award for Biomedical Research, Wadsworth First Annual Lifetime Achievement Award, ASM's Hoechst Marion Roussel Award, IDSA's Bristol Award, and Finland's Medal of Helsinki. He was the founding member and the first president of the Anaerobe Society of the Americas, and he is past president of IDSA and the Society of Intestinal Microbial Ecology and Disease. A supporter of Dr. Finegold's nomination, Dr. John G. Bartlett, stated, "Seldom is there a field in medicine that is so completely dominated by one person. Dr. Finegold is often referred to as 'Mr. Anaerobe,' a title he has maintained for four decades. His work in this field is an unique blend of both sophisticated microbiology and clinical application. He described the role of anaerobic bacteria at nearly every anatomical site in which they are now readily accepted as common and important pathogens. His book, 'Anaerobic Bacteria' will never be challenged as the most authoritative text in the field."