Who discovered bacteria?

Antony van Leeuwenhoek is credited for the discovery of bacteria, according to the University of California Museum of Paleontology website. He wrote of tiny living animals moving prettily in 1683 in reference to microorganisms he observed from the plaque between his own teeth.

He wrote to the Royal Academy of London in 1676 about his microscopic discoveries, but he was initially met with skepticism. After convincing the Royal Academy to check his observations, the academy extensively tested and approved his conclusions. It took another 200 years before bacteria were linked to the transmission of diseases between one person and another.