History

The Clinical Bacteriology laboratory in the Department of Bacteriology, Medical Research Institute (MRI), was known as the ‘Main lab’ – the pioneer unit of the ‘De Soyza Bacteriological Institute’ at the inception in 1900. The laboratory served as the main laboratory for ‘General Hospital, Colombo’, now the National Hospital of Sri Lanka. 

Sir Aldo Castellani, an Italian pathologist and a microbiologist was the first director of the De Soyza Bacteriological Institute who introduced various laboratory tests in bacteriology for the first time in Sri Lanka. Some of the pioneering bacteriological tests introduced by him included diagnosis of enteric fever and tuberculosis. In 1905, Sir Aldo Castellani discovered the causative organism in Yaws. 

Over the years, Bacteriology has grown in to a gigantic discipline that branched into many important subdivisional laboratories; Clinical microbiology (main lab), Leptospira, Food and Water microbiology, Anaerobic bacteriology, Enteric pathogens, Quality Control and Molecular Biology in bacteriology

The consultants served in this Department are as follows:

Sir Aldo Castellani, Dr. E. Schmid, Dr. Nitiyanandan, Dr. T. Velaudapillai, Dr. Palasuntheram,             Dr. R.S.B. Wickramasinghe,  Dr. Maya Atapattu, Dr. Philomina Chandrasiri, Dr. Praneetha Somaratne,  Dr. K. Karunaratne and Dr. Kavan Cooray.

References:

Journal of the  Medical Research Institute – Inaugural volume October, 1985

Personal communication – Mr. L. Suraweera, (Former) Sup. MLT/MRI

Written by Dr. Lilani Karunanayake (02.05.2023)

The present Consultant Microbiologists serving in the Department of Bacteriology

• Clinical Microbiology & Molecular Biology
• National Reference Laboratory for Leptospirosis
• Quality Control & Media Preparation
• Food & Water Microbiology
• Enteric & Anaerobic bacteriology