Giuseppe Cornaglia

Abstract

The Professor of Microbiology at the University of Verona was a torchbearer for clinical microbiology and antimicrobial stewardship. He died on March 17, 2020. Giuseppe Cornaglia leaves behind an everlasting impression in the field of infectious diseases. He is remembered as a passionate clinical microbiologist who strived to propagate international collaborations of microbiologists and steer actions on the prudent use of antibiotics in the wake of antimicrobial resistance. The humble and cordial polymath, Cornaglia died on March 17, 2020, from oncological complications. Born in 1958 in Sassari, Italy, Cornaglia was educated in his hometown. Even as a boy, young Cornaglia showed interest in more than one subject, although his favourites were classics, literature, and music. Cornaglia graduated in 1982 with highest honours in medicine and surgery, specialising in anaesthesiology and intensive care, at the University of Sassari. Then, he went on to work as a guest researcher at the ‘Giannina Gaslini’ Institute in Genoa to study the effects of the then emerging synthetic opioids. But soon he decided to specialise in microbiology at the University of Cagliari, thanks to the influence of the late Giuseppe Satta, a long-time promoter of the Italian Surveillance Group for Antimicrobial Resistance (ISGAR). Cornaglia then won a scholarship to pursue his doctoral studies in microbiology in Verona on the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in methicillin-resistant staphylococci. From 1987 onwards, Cornaglia taught various microbiological courses to the students of the University of Verona, where he worked until his premature demise at the age of 61. During his tenure in Verona, Cornaglia led various projects and initiatives that influenced not only antimicrobial research but also the fields of virology and application of emerging technologies in microbiology. In 1997, he organised a WHO workshop to raise the awareness of antimicrobial resistance at the policy-maker's level. Such initiatives earned him a prominent position in European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), which he went on to head, promoting a radical expansion in the evolution of clinical microbiology education in Europe and boosting the Society's visibility through international collaborations beyond continental Europe to bring in expertise from eastern Europe, Russia, China and other developing countries through establishing expert study groups to control antibiotic resistance and improve treatment. He served as the president of ESCMID from 2007–2009, and again from 2010–2012. “During his time he extended the reach of ECCMID [European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases] from being a small European conference with a few hundred participants to global reach”, said Laura Piddock, University of Birmingham, UK. “ESCMID was an important part of Giuseppe's life: he spent much of his energy on the strenuous work done to create a global microbiological cultural network”, recalls Maria Del Mar Lleo'Fernandez, a colleague of his for over 30 years at the University of Verona, with whom Cornaglia worked on the department's expansion on the molecular diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases. Cornaglia also established the ESCMID Parity Commission, a group dedicated to ensuring just and equal gender, geographical, and minority representation in all ESCMID activities and programmes. His active work as part of ESCMID and as head of the Italian chapter of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA)–an initiative advocating for responsible use of antibiotics against the pandemic of antimicrobial resistance–led him to earn awards and honorary degrees for his tireless promotion of antibiotic resistance education. As a passionate lover or arts and history, Cornaglia also strived to set a new discipline called paleomicrobiology, a historical analysis from a medical microbiology point of view. As an example, his collaboration with French scientists helped solvethe mystery behind the death of the 17th century painter Caravaggio as being due to sepsis from Staphylococcus aureus infection. “[Cornaglia] presented with the typical Sardinian characteristics: a wary, touchy, stubborn man, but also reliable and proud”, mused Lleo'Fernandez. Although he dedicated most of his time to work, he still found time for hobbies such as attending operas, enjoying the films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, and his collection of tin soldiers. “He was moreover a lover and admirer of the ancient world, profound connoisseur of the Latin and Greek languages, old books and Vatican history”, she added. He was a go-getter in his ambitions but also a people's person, recalled Maurizio Sanguinetti from the Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, Rome, Italy. “He loved good food and good wine: he was a great expert of Italian red wines”. “In ESCMID circles, [Giuseppe Cornaglia] will be remembered as a dedicated and hard-working man: a colleague and friend with a strong opinion, high expectations and great responsibility”, reads the ESCMID memorium.