September 17 was chosen to celebrate International Day of Microorganisms due to September 17, 1683 Dutch naturalist without a university degree Levan Leeuwenhoek sent a letter to the Royal Society of London, in which he presented the first description of a single-celled organism. This little-known scientist at the time showed boundless curiosity, tireless ability to work and was endowed with an extraordinary gift of observation. He designed and built his microscopes (hundreds of them!), Improved the lenses of his optical system, which allowed to obtain extraordinary magnifications for that time.

Anthony van Leeuwenhoek – a prominent self-taught researcher, creator of the microscope, which in the XVII century were discovered invisible worlds of bacteria, ciliates and red blood cells. He was well ahead of his time, as he observed and described microorganisms for the first time. In his famous letter to the Royal Society of London, he made an exquisite description of the first observation of live bacteria present on dental plaque, accompanied by drawings of microorganisms and their movements. Ultimately, these observations of microscopic life were later laid down in the foundations of microbiology.

The celebration of the International Day of Microorganisms (IMD) is aimed at spreading and promoting microbiology as a field of professional activity and raising awareness of young people and society as a whole with the important role played by many invisible living beings in our health. environment and quality of life, as well as their biotechnological potential.