Once upon a time, there was a bacterium able to produce a pigment called pyocyanin, which caused the blue-green color of the wounds it infected. It was then nicknamed “pyocyanic bacillus” or “blue pus bacillus” by Carle Gessard who isolated it in 1882.
Today, its scientific name Pseudomonas aeruginosa refers again to this blue pigment, aerugo meaning “rust covered” in reference to the blue-green result of copper corrosion.
Beyond its pigmenting power, pyocyanin has proved to be a formidable asset for the bacterium because of its involvement in various biological activities such as the generation of oxidizing molecules or the maintenance of biofilms.
Inspired by the color of pyocyanin, like C. Gessard, Sophie and Cédric chose the shade ‘SMALT blue’ to name their company. SMALTIS was then born, the letters I and S referring to Scientific Innovation, the vocation of the laboratory.
And did you know that the RGB color code of ‘SMALT blue’ is: 0, 51, 153? That’s why this code is the origin of SMALTIS!
