Ida Ørskov (née Oppenheuser; 8 January 1922 – 10 April 2007) was a Danish physician and bacteriologist whose dissertation ''Om Klebsiella'' (About ''

Klebsiella ''Klebsiella'' is a genus of Gram-negative, oxidase-negative, rod-shaped bacteria with a prominent polysaccharide-based capsule. ''Klebsiella'' is named after German-Swiss microbiologist Edwin Klebs (1834–1913). Carl Friedlander described ' ...

'') was the first scientific study pointing to the risk of bacterial cross-infection in hospitals.

Biography

Born in Copenhagen, Ørskov was the daughter of Johannes Georg Oppenheuser, an engraver, and Helga Christensen. After matriculating from N. Zahle's School in 1941, she began to study medicine the encouragement of her chemistry teacher. Her friendship and later marriage (1948) with her fellow student , the son of the director of the Danish Serum Institute (Statens Serum Institut), raised her interest in

bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the Morphology (biology), morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the iden ...

and led to close collaboration with her husband after he became head of the institute's coli department. After graduating from the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

in 1948, she became an assistant at the institute's International Salmonella Centre. Her thesis ''Om Klebsiella'' (1956) was one of the first scientific papers addressing the presence of bacterial cross-infection. Together with her husband, she investigated the virulence factors and related properties of

coliforms Coliform bacteria are defined as either motile or non-motile Gram-negative non- spore forming bacilli that possess β-galactosidase to produce acids and gases under their optimal growth temperature of 35–37 °C. They can be aerobes or f ...

. The work led to the establishment of a coli department which became the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

's International Escherichia Centre, leading to a national Salmonella Centre and an international Klebsiella Centre. In 1968, she was appointed ''overlæge'' (head of department). This resulted in close contacts with the American

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including a year with her husband as visiting scientists at the NIH. Ida Ørskov died on 10 April 2007 and is buried in

Frederiksberg Ældre Kirkegård Frederiksberg Ældre Kirkegård is a cemetery in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark. It was established in 1734 behind Frederiksberg Church. Burials * C.F. Gerner Andersen * Kai Normann Andersen * Peter Andersen (ironmaster), Peter Andersen * Ch ...

Cemetery. Her husband, Frits Ørskov, died on 29 July 2015.

Awards

*1965:

Paul Ehrlich Prize The Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize is an annual award bestowed by the since 1952 for research in medicine. It carries a monetary prize of 120,000 Euro. The prize ceremony is traditionally held on the 14th of March, the birthday of Nob ...

*1978: Tagea Brandt Travel Scholarship

Selected publications

Ida Ørskov contributed to some 200 publications, most in collaboration with her husband and other scientists. Works include: * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orskov, Ida 1922 births 2007 deaths Danish women scientists Danish bacteriologists 20th-century Danish women scientists 20th-century Danish biologists 20th-century Danish physicians