Doug Dye
Encyclopedia
Dr Douglas W. Dye was a New Zealand
microbiologist.
Dye began work with the DSIR
in 1946 and for the first 10 years of his career, worked as a pathologist on the pathogenic bacteria of crops in New Zealand. From 1956 till 1958, he studied in Edinburgh
for his PhD, the subject of which was the taxonomy of Xanthomonas
. It was this meticulous work, showing the absence of phenotypic diversity between specific pathogens in this genus, that led to the development of pathovar
nomenclature, applied internationally to plant pathogenic bacteria today.
Subsequently, Dye clarified the relationships within the major bacterial groups represented by Erwinia
and Corynebacterium
. Dye worked on several committees connected with bacterial taxonomy, most notably the International Committee on the Systematics of Bacteria, participating in the complete revision of bacterial names contained in the Approved Lists of Names of Bacteria, and the Committee on Taxonomy of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria of the International Society for Plant Pathology, which developed the International Standards for Naming Pathovars.
From the late 1960s, as head of an expanding Bacteriology Section in Plant Diseases Division of DSIR, he maintained a day-to-day interest in wide-ranging studies of his staff. Dye's personal culture collection, begun in 1951, evolved into today's ICMP culture collection held at Landcare Research, Tamaki.
He retired in December 1983, and was made an Honorary Member of the New Zealand Microbiological Society the following year. The proteobacteria
genus Dyella was named after him. The collection and bacteriology laboratory suite at Landcare in Tamaki was named after him in 2004. He attended the naming ceremony.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
microbiologist.
Dye began work with the DSIR
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
Several countries have organizations called the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, abbreviated DSIR.-United Kingdom:...
in 1946 and for the first 10 years of his career, worked as a pathologist on the pathogenic bacteria of crops in New Zealand. From 1956 till 1958, he studied in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
for his PhD, the subject of which was the taxonomy of Xanthomonas
Xanthomonas
Xanthomonas is a genus of Proteobacteria, many of which cause plant diseases. Most varieties of Xanthomonas are available from the National Collection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria in the United Kingdom and other international culture collections such as ICMP in New Zealand, CFBP in France, and...
. It was this meticulous work, showing the absence of phenotypic diversity between specific pathogens in this genus, that led to the development of pathovar
Pathovar
A pathovar is a bacterial strain or set of strains with the same or similar characteristics, that is differentiated at infrasubspecific level from other strains of the same species or subspecies on the basis of distinctive pathogenicity to one or more plant hosts.Pathovars are named as a ternary or...
nomenclature, applied internationally to plant pathogenic bacteria today.
Subsequently, Dye clarified the relationships within the major bacterial groups represented by Erwinia
Erwinia
Erwinia is a genus of Enterobacteriaceae bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the first phytobacteriologist, Erwin Smith. It is a gram negative bacterium related to E. coli, Shigella, Salmonella and Yersinia. It is primarily a rod-shaped bacteria. A well-known...
and Corynebacterium
Corynebacterium
Corynebacterium is a genus of Gram-positive rod-shaped bacteria. They are widely distributed in nature and are mostly innocuous. Some are useful in industrial settings such as C. glutamicum. Others can cause human disease. C...
. Dye worked on several committees connected with bacterial taxonomy, most notably the International Committee on the Systematics of Bacteria, participating in the complete revision of bacterial names contained in the Approved Lists of Names of Bacteria, and the Committee on Taxonomy of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria of the International Society for Plant Pathology, which developed the International Standards for Naming Pathovars.
From the late 1960s, as head of an expanding Bacteriology Section in Plant Diseases Division of DSIR, he maintained a day-to-day interest in wide-ranging studies of his staff. Dye's personal culture collection, begun in 1951, evolved into today's ICMP culture collection held at Landcare Research, Tamaki.
He retired in December 1983, and was made an Honorary Member of the New Zealand Microbiological Society the following year. The proteobacteria
Proteobacteria
The Proteobacteria are a major group of bacteria. They include a wide variety of pathogens, such as Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio, Helicobacter, and many other notable genera....
genus Dyella was named after him. The collection and bacteriology laboratory suite at Landcare in Tamaki was named after him in 2004. He attended the naming ceremony.