What is called Eisenbergiella tayi, an anaerobic bacterial strain, was actually discovered by an employee who has been a staff member at Bnei Brak�s Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital.

PhD student Itay Amir, 34, who is employed in the hospital�s microbiological lab, discovered the bacterial strain in the digestive tracts of two patients. The first was found about a year ago when she received a culture for analysis from an 84-year-old male.

Dr. Amir makes no effort to hide his joy, explaining �it was the first time that a new strain of bacteria was discovered in Mayanei HaYeshua and it is not every day that such a discovery is made in a clinical lab�. He explained the medical staff was astounded when he spoke with the experts, explaining they discovered a new strain, here in Israel from a local patient.

The strain is named after Dr. Phillip Eisenberg HY�D, a Jewish microbiologist who perished in the Holocaust and Dr. Warren Tay, the British ophthalmologist for whom Tay Sachs disease is named.

(YWN � Israel Desk, Jerusalem)