M Elisabeth Sharpe

M Elisabeth Sharpe (1916 – 1998) was a British microbiologist. She is best known for her contributions to the field of dairy microbiology and the development of the MRS agar for the isolation and cultivation of Lactobacillus species.

Research and career

Sharpe attended University College London where she gained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1937. before returning to the National Institute for Research in Dairying in Shinfield where remained until her retirement from research in 1978.

Sharpe's later research focussed on dairy microbiology, In 1960, Sharpe was involved in the invention of the MRS agar along with de Mann and Rogosa;

Sharpe was also a contributor and editor of the first edition of Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. In 1975, Sharpe become the joint editor of the Journal of Dairy Research, a role in which she remained until her retirement in 1988.

In 1973, Sharpe was awarded a DSc degree from the University of London. After fourteen years as a joint editor of the Journal of Dairy Research, Sharpe retired in 1988 before her death in 1999.

Selected publications