Martinus Beijerinck

Martinus Beijerinck
Born	16 March 1851 (1851-03-16) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died	1 January 1931 (1931-02) (aged 79) Gorssel, Netherlands
Alma mater	Leiden University
Known for	One of the founders of virology, environmental microbiology and general microbiology Conceptual discovery of virus (tobacco mosaic virus) Enrichment culture Biological nitrogen fixation Sulfate-reducing bacteria Nitrogen fixing bacteria Azotobacter (Azotobacter chroococcum) Rhizobium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (Spirillum desulfuricans)
Awards	Leeuwenhoek Medal (1905)
Scientific career
Fields	Microbiology
Institutions	Wageningen University Delft School of Microbiology (founder)

Martinus Willem Beijerinck (Dutch pronunciation: [mɑrˈtinʏs ˈʋɪləm ˈbɛiərɪŋk], 16 March 1851 – 1 January 1931) was a Dutch microbiologist and botanist who was one of the founders of virology and environmental microbiology. He is credited with the co-discovery of viruses (1898), which he called "contagium vivum fluidum".