List of U.S. state microbes

One U.S. state has an official microbe, although it has been under consideration in at least two other states.

• Oregon has Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a type of brewer's yeast used in making beer. This was made official in 2013.
• Wisconsin considered Lactococcus lactis, used in making cheese (particularly cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Colby cheese). Talk first came up in 2009, but legislation was dropped the next year.
• Hawaii began considering two in 2013: Flavobacterium akiainvivens was discovered by a student in Oahu on the native ʻākia shrub, and Vibrio fischeri which creates bioluminescence in Hawaiian bobtail squids. As of 2014, no decision has been made.

References