| Date | 1000 |
| Author | Avicenna |
| Contribution | Probably recognized the presence of a worm in what became known as guinea-worm disease. |
| Reference | Grove |
| Notes | Avicenna is common Western name for Ibn Sina of Baghdad. The date is approximate (Avicenna would have been 20 years old). The guinea-worm is not a microbe, but this is one of many examples of the description of pathogenic macroparasites prior to the rise of the germ theory. Because of uncertainties in translation from the Arabic, it is not clear whether Avicenna accepted the claim that the elongated object was a worm rather than a vein. |
| Category | Miscellany |
| Pathogen Class | Helminths |
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