“Michael Jordan has a virus named after him called the Salmonella MJordan!”: When a doctor named a virulent strain of Salmonella after the Bulls legend

Michael Jordan has somehow reached the world of virology. In 1993, a virologist named a strain after him, the Salmonella MJordan. 

Michael Jordan and his influence on the world cannot be understated. The most popular sneaker in the world is a basketball shoe. He helped build the Nike Brand to what it is today. A franchise and a city are all recognizable because of MJ.

He is very fabric of the NBA’s global reach. Through his merits, status, and personality has basketball become a global sport. Jordan was talismanic not just for his team but for the NBA too.

So it is no surprise to learn that he has a virus named after him. Yes, a virus. The fun fact is this virus was named long before Jordan had his infamous flu game and unlike the flu, this one will punish you.

Also read: “Michael Jordan lost and scored only 16 points when he debuted the Air Jordan 1s”: When the Chicago Bulls rookie’s signature shoe launch was a disaster

Here’s a weird non-basketball fact about Michael Jordan. In 1993, a doctor who was a huge fan of His Airness, named a type of salmonella after MJ. After treating a patient and checking the virus with the CDC, he called the newly discovered virus “Salmonella mjordan.” pic.twitter.com/pDck8kAcvT

— AirJordanMuse (@AirJordanMuse) May 31, 2022

How Dr. Stanford Shulman loved Michael Jordan so much that he named a virus after him

Devotion and love can be showcased in different ways. In this case, a doctor showed his affection for MJ by naming a rather dangerous virus after him.

In the winter of 1992, Dr. Stanford Shulman found a strain of salmonella that was undiscovered. It causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, and severe headaches.

He confirmed that this was undiscovered with the Center for Diseases Control in Atlanta and then proceeded to file the name “Salmonella MJordan”!

Before the “Flu Game,” Michael Jordan actually had a strain of flu named after him.

Dr. Stanford Shulman in Chicago found a strain that causes diarrhea, severe headaches, and abdominal pain in the winter of 1992.

He named it “Salmonella MJordan.” pic.twitter.com/We1xuLhAUm

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 18, 2020

He declared this tribute publically when MJ retired for the first time in 1993. Quite a weird tribute if you ask us.

Today in “The 90s Were Weird” – The week after Michael Jordan retired for the first time in October 1993 a microbiologist at the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago named a strain of Salmonella in MJ’s honor: “Salmonella mjordan”

— Andy Derer (@AndyDerer) January 24, 2018

Also read: “Having $1 billion just means people can call and ask me for money”: Michael Jordan dispassionately broke down what it meant to be a billionaire