
Prof. Dr. Oliver Kurzai
Fungal Septomics · Leiter Nationales Referenzzentrum für Invasive Pilzinfektionen · Leiter
Telefon: +49 3641 532-1347 Telefax: +49 3641 532-2347 E-Mail: oliver.kurzai@leibniz-hki.de
- Infektionsbiologie von humanpathogenen Pilzen (insbes. Candida albicans)
- Infektionsbiologie von Neisseria meningitidis
Wissenschaftlicher Werdegang
seit 2017 | Lehrstuhl für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Mykologie, Institut für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg und Leiter der Forschungsgruppe Fungal Septomics am Leibniz-Institut für Naturstoff-Forschung und Infektionsbiologie - Hans-Knöll-Institut Jena |
2009-2016 | Professor (W2) für Fungal Septomics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena |
2008 | Habilitation in Medizinischer Mikrobiologie, Universität Würzburg |
2006 | Facharzt für Mikrobiologie, Virologie und Infektionsepidemiologie (Bayerische Landesärztekammer) |
2003 | Arbeitsgruppenleiter, Institut für Hygiene und Microbiologie, Universität Würzburg |
2001-2002 | Arzt im Praktikum (AiP), Institut für Hygiene und Microbiologie, Universität Würzburg |
2002 | Dr. med., “summa cum laude” Universität Würzburg |
2001 | Staatsexamen Humanmedizin, Universität Würzburg |
Auszeichnungen · Ämter · wissenschaftliche Aktivitäten
seit 2014 | Leiter des Nationales Referenzzentrums für invasive Pilzinfektionen (NRZMyk) |
seit 2013 | Vorstandsmitglied des des Integrierten Forschungs- und Behandlungszentrums “Center for Sepsis Control and Care” (CSCC) am Universitätsklinikum Jena |
seit 2012 | Wissenschaftlicher Geschäftsführer des Konsortiums “InfectControl 2020- Neue Antiinfektionsstrategien-Wissenschaft • Gesellschaft • Wirtschaft” im BMBF-Program “Zwanzig 20-Partnerschaft für Innovation” (Sprecher: Prof. A. Brakhage) |
seit 2012 | Editor-in-Chief, Medical Mycology Case Reports, Mitglied (ex officio) des Executive Board der International Society for Human & Animal Mycology (ISHAM) |
seit 2011 | gewählter Schriftführer der Deutschsprachigen Mykologischen Gesellschaft DMykG |
2015-2016 | Sprecher des ZIK Septomics |
2011-2013 | Editor, Journal of Basic Microbiology |
2009 | Hans-Rieth-Posterpreis der Deutschsprachigen Mykologischen Gesellschaft (DMykG) |
2008 | Förderpreis der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie |
2003 | Wissenschaftspreis der Unterfränkischen Gedenkjahrstiftung |
2003 | Dissertationspreis der Medizinischen Fakultät der Universität Würzburg |
2002 | Becton-Dickinson Promotionspreis der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie |
(2021) Significant differences in host-pathogen interactions between murine and human whole blood. Front Immunol 11, 565869. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2020) Candida lusitaniae breakthrough fungemia in an immuno-compromised adolescent: Case report and review of the literature. J Fungi (Basel) 6(4), 380. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2020) Detection and differentiation of bacterial and fungal infection of Neutrophils from peripheral blood using Raman Spectroscopy. Anal Chem 92(15), 10560-10568. Details PubMed
(2020) How to interpret MICs of antifungal compounds according to the revised clinical breakpoints v. 10.0 European committee on antimicrobial susceptibility testing (EUCAST). Clin Microbiol Infect S1198-743X(20), 30347-5. (Review) Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2020) Effects of agricultural fungicide use on Aspergillus fumigatus abundance, antifungal susceptibility, and population structure. mBio 11(6), e02213-20. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2020) Low rate of azole resistance in cases of avian aspergillosis in Germany. Med Mycol 58(8), 1187-1190. Details PubMed
(2020) Tracing the evolutionary history and global expansion of Candida auris using population genomic analyses. mBio 11(2), e03364-19. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2020) Phylogenomic analysis of a 55.1 kb 19-gene dataset resolves a monophyletic Fusarium that includes the Fusarium solani Species Complex. Phytopathology [Epub ahead of print] Details PubMed
(2020) First case of fatal Rhizomucor miehei endocarditis in an immunocompromised patient. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 98(2), 115106. Details PubMed
(2020) Survival strategies of pathogenic Candida species in human blood show independent and specific adaptations. mBio 11(5), e02435-20. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2020) Candida species-dependent release of IL-12 by dendritic cells induces different levels of NK cell stimulation. J Infect Dis 221(12), 2060-2071. Details PubMed
(2020) Candida auris: epidemiological situation, laboratory capacity and preparedness in the European Union and European Economic Area*, January 2018 to May 2019. Euro Surveill 25(12), 2000240. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2020) Ahr1 and Tup1 contribute to the transcriptional control of virulence-associated genes in Candida albicans. mBio 11(2), e00206-20. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2020) From bench to bedside - translational approaches in anti-fungal immunology. Curr Opin Microbiol 58, 153-159. (Review) Details PubMed
(2020) Case report: Beyond the blood-retina barrier: Intravitreal caspofungin for fungal endophthalmitis. Optom Vis Sci 97(7), 473-476. Details PubMed
(2020) A new species concept for the clinically relevant Mucor circinelloides complex. Persoonia 44, 67-97. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2020) Reconstituting NK cells after allogeneic stem cell transplantation show impaired response to the fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. Front Immunol 11, 2117. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2019) Automated tracking of label-free cells with enhanced recognition of whole tracks. Sci Rep 9(1), 3317. Details PubMed Open Access PDF Supplement
(2019) Comparative genomics of serial Candida glabrata isolates and the rapid acquisition of echinocandin resistance during therapy. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 63(2), e01628-18. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2019) How to: EUCAST recommendations on the screening procedure E.Def 10.1 for the detection of azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus isolates using four-well azole-containing agar plates. Clin Microbiol Infect 25(6), 681-687. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2019) Candida auris in germany and previous exposure to foreign healthcare. Emerg Infect Dis 25(9), 1763-1765. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2019) ECMM CandiReg-A ready to use platform for outbreaks and epidemiological studies. Mycoses 62(10), 920-927. Details PubMed
(2019) Sporothrix humicola (Ascomycota: Ophiostomatales) - A soil-borne fungus with pathogenic potential in the eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus). Med Mycol Case Rep 25, 39-44. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2019) Antifungal susceptibility profiles of rare ascomycetous yeasts. J Antimicrob Chemother 74(9), 2649-2656. Details PubMed
(2019) Das Deutsche Pilz-Keratitis-Register: Erste Ergebnisse einer multizentrischen Erhebung [The german keratomycosis registry: Initial results of a multicenter survey]. Ophthalmologe 116(10), 957-966. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2019) Detection of fusarium species in clinical specimens by probe-based real-time PCR. J Fungi (Basel) 5(4), 105. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2019) Multiple signaling pathways involved in human dendritic cell maturation are affected by the fungal quorum-sensing molecule farnesol. J Immunol 203(11), 2959-2969. Details PubMed
(2019) Invasive fungal infection. Dtsch Arztebl Int 116(16), 271-278. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2019) Candida auris – Steckbrief eines neuen Pilzes. Deutsches Ärzteblatt Suppl. Perspektiven der Infektiologie & Immunologie 116(1), 29-30. (Review) Details Open Access PDF
(2019) A revised species concept for opportunistic Mucor species reveals species-specific antifungal susceptibility profiles. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 63(8), e00653-19. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2019) Updates on the taxonomy of mucorales with an emphasis on clinically important taxa. J Fungi (Basel) 5(4), 106. Details PubMed Open Access
(2019) Outbreaks of mucorales and the species involved. Mycopathologia 185(5), 765-781. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2019) Treatment with etanercept and low monocyte concentration contribute to the risk of invasive aspergillosis in patients post allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Sci Rep 9(1), 17231. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2018) (1,3)-β-D-glucan-based diagnosis of invasive Candida infection versus culture-based diagnosis in patients with sepsis and with an increased risk of invasive Candida infection (CandiSep): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 19(1), 472. Details PubMed Open Access
(2018) Azole-induced cell wall carbohydrate patches kill Aspergillus fumigatus. Nat Commun 9(1), 3098. Details PubMed Open Access
(2018) Tintelnotia destructans: Ein neuer Feind vor dem Tore [Tintelnotia destructans: new enemy at the gates]. Ophthalmologe 115(11), 948-950. Details PubMed PDF
(2018) Candida species. In: Oxford University Press (ed.) Oxford Textbook of Medical Mycology Chapter 11, pp. 77-79. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978019875. (Review) Details
(2018) Phagocytes as central players in the defence against invasive fungal infection. Semin Cell Dev Biol 89, 3-15. (Review) Details PubMed
(2018) Candida auris: Epidemiological situation, laboratory capacity and preparedness in European Union and European economic area countries, 2013 to 2017. Euro Surveill 23(13), Details PubMed Open Access
(2018) Tracheal, laryngeal and pulmonary mucormycosis followed by organizing pneumonia in a patient with adult onset still's disease. Med Mycol Case Rep 20, 28-32. Details PubMed Open Access
(2018) Validation of a simplified in vitro Transwell® model of the alveolar surface to assess host immunity induced by different morphotypes of Aspergillus fumigatus. Int J Med Microbiol 308(8), 1009-1017. Details PubMed
(2018) Farnesol signalling in Candida albicans - more than just communication. Crit Rev Microbiol 44(2), 230-243. (Review) Details PubMed
(2018) Predictive virtual infection modeling of fungal immune evasion in human whole blood. Front Immunol 9, 560. Details PubMed Open Access PDF Supplement
(2018) Diagnosis of invasive fungal diseases in haematology and oncology: 2018 update of the recommendations of the infectious diseases working party of the German society for hematology and medical oncology (AGIHO). Mycoses 61(11), 796-813. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2018) Quantitative simulations predict treatment strategies against fungal infections in virtual neutropenic patients. Front Immunol 9, 667. Details PubMed Open Access PDF Supplement
(2018) Proteome analysis reveals the conidial surface protein CcpA essential for virulence of the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. mBio 9(5), e01557-18. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2018) FunResDB-A web resource for genotypic susceptibility testing of Aspergillus fumigatus. Med Mycol 56(1), 117-120. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2018) First insights in NK-DC cross-talk and the importance of soluble factors during infection with Aspergillus fumigatus. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 8, 288. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2017) Migration and interaction tracking for quantitative analysis of phagocyte-pathogen confrontation assays. Medical Image Analysis 36, 172-183. Details PubMed Open Access PDF
(2017) Specific and novel microRNAs are regulated as response to fungal infection in human dendritic cells. Front Microbiol 8, 270. Details PubMed Open Access
(2017) Isoform localization of Dectin-1 regulates the signaling quality of anti-fungal immunity. Eur J Immunol 47(5), 848-859. Details PubMed
(2017) Persistence within dendritic cells marks an antifungal evasion and dissemination strategy of Aspergillus terreus. Sci Rep 7(1), 10590. Details PubMed Open Access
(2017) CO2 sensing in fungi: at the heart of metabolic signaling. Curr Genet 63(6), 965-972. Details PubMed
(2017) Caspofungin infusion solutions (50 mg/100 mL): chemical stability and antifungal activity against Candida spp. Pharmazie 72(4), 197-199. Details PubMed
(2017) Lipid signaling via Pkh1/2 regulates fungal CO2 sensing through the kinase Sch9. mBio 8(1), e02211-16. Details PubMed
(2017) Fusarium Keratitis in Germany. J Clin Microbiol 55(10), 2983-2995. Details PubMed
(2017) CD56 Is a Pathogen Recognition Receptor on Human Natural Killer Cells. Sci Rep 7(1), 6138. Details PubMed Open Access
(2016) Human Invariant Natural Killer T cells possess immune-modulating functions during Aspergillus infection. Med Mycol 54(2), 169-176. Details PubMed
(2016) C-Terminal Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Peptide: A New Sepsis Biomarker with Immunomodulatory Function. Mediators Inflamm 2016, 6129437. Details PubMed
(2016) Candida albicans infection leads to barrier breakdown and a MAPK/NF-κB mediated stress response in the intestinal epithelial cell line C2BBe1. Cellular Microbiology 18(7), 889-904. Details PubMed
(2016) Krüppel-like Factor 4 modulates interleukin-6 release in human dendritic cells after in vitro stimulation with Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans Sci Rep 6, 27990. Details PubMed Open Access
(2016) Hypoxia attenuates anti-Aspergillus fumigatus immune responses initiated by human dendritic cells. Mycoses 59(8), 503-508. Details PubMed
(2016) Candida albicans induces metabolic reprogramming in human NK cells and responds to perforin with a Zinc depletion response. Front Microbiol 7, 750. Details PubMed Open Access
(2016) Colonization of CF patients' upper airways with S. aureus contributes more decisively to upper airway inflammation than P. aeruginosa. Med Microbiol Immunol 205(5), 485-500. Details PubMed
(2016) Candidalysin is a fungal peptide toxin critical for mucosal infection. Nature 532(7597), 64-68. Details PubMed Open Access
(2016) Genetic Factors of the Disease Course after Sepsis: A Genome-Wide Study for 28Day Mortality. EBioMedicine 12, 239-246. Details PubMed
(2016) Genetic Factors of the Disease Course After Sepsis: Rare Deleterious Variants Are Predictive. EBioMedicine 12, 227-238. Details PubMed
(2015) Automated segmentation and tracking of non-rigid objects in time-lapse microscopy videos of polymorphonuclear neutrophils. Medical Image Analysis 20(1), 34-51. Details PubMed
(2015) Biomarker-based classification of bacterial and fungal whole-blood infections in a genome-wide expression study. Front Microbiol 6, 171. Details PubMed Open Access
(2015) Neutrophil activation by Candida glabrata but not Candida albicans promotes fungal uptake by monocytes. Cell Microbiol 17(9), 1259-1276. Details PubMed
(2015) Host response to Candida albicans bloodstream infection and sepsis. Virulence , 1-11. (Review) Details PubMed
(2015) Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α modulates metabolic activity and cytokine release in anti-Aspergillus fumigatus immune responses initiated by human dendritic cells. Int J Med Microbiol , Details PubMed
(2015) A second stimulus required for enhanced antifungal activity of human neutrophils in blood is provided by anaphylatoxin C5a. The Journal of Immunology 194(3), 1199-1210. Details PubMed
(2015) Candida albicans bloodstream isolates in a German university hospital are genetically heterogenous and susceptible to commonly used antifungals. Int J Med Microbiol 305(7), 742-747. Details PubMed
(2015) Bottom-up modeling approach for the quantitative estimation of parameters in pathogen-host interactions. Frontiers in Microbiology 6(608), *authors contributed equally. Details PubMed Open Access
(2015) The fungal quorum-sensing molecule farnesol activates innate immune cells but suppresses cellular adaptive immunity. MBio 6(2), e00143. Details PubMed
(2015) Defining the transcriptomic landscape of Candida glabrata by RNA-Seq. Nucleic Acids Res 43(3), 1392-1406. Details PubMed Open Access
(2014) Genetic PTX3 deficiency and aspergillosis in stem-cell transplantation. N Engl J Med 370(5), 421-432. Details PubMed
(2014) PTX3 deficiency and aspergillosis. N Engl J Med 370(17), 1666-1667. Details PubMed
(2014) Neutrophil Responses to Aspergillosis: New Roles for Old Players. Mycopathologia [Epub ahead of print] Details PubMed
(2014) Aspergillus fumigatus induces microRNA-132 in human monocytes and dendritic cells. Int J Med Microbiol 304(5-6), 592-596. Details PubMed
(2014) Impact of plasma histones in human sepsis and their contribution to cellular injury and inflammation. Crit Care 18(5), 543. Details PubMed
(2014) Influences of nasal lavage collection-, processing- and storage methods on inflammatory markers--evaluation of a method for non-invasive sampling of epithelial lining fluid in cystic fibrosis and other respiratory diseases. J Immunol Methods 404, 41-51. Details PubMed
(2014) A virtual infection model quantifies innate effector mechanisms and Candida albicans immune escape in human blood. PLOS Comput Biol 10(2), e1003479, */⁺authors contributed equally. Details PubMed Open Access
(2014) In vivo imaging of disseminated murine Candida albicans infection reveals unexpected host sites of fungal persistence during antifungal therapy. J Antimicrob Chemother 69(10), 2785-2796. Details PubMed
(2014) Human dendritic cell subsets display distinct interactions with the pathogenic mould Aspergillus fumigatus. Int J Med Microbiol [Epub ahead of print] Details PubMed
(2014) A family of glutathione peroxidases contributes to oxidative stress resistance in Candida albicans. Med Mycol 52(3), 223-239. Details PubMed
(2014) Differential role of NK cells against Candida albicans infection in immunocompetent or immunocompromised mice. Eur J Immunol 44(8), 2405-2414. Details PubMed
(2014) Human natural killer cells acting as phagocytes against Candida albicans and mounting an inflammatory response that modulates neutrophil antifungal activity. J Infect Dis 209(4), 616-626. Details PubMed
(2014) Microevolution of Candida albicans in macrophages restores filamentation in a nonfilamentous mutant. PLOS Genet 10(12), e1004824. Details PubMed Open Access
(2013) Carbonic anhydrase regulation and CO(2) sensing in the fungal pathogen Candida glabrata involves a novel Rca1p ortholog. Bioorg Med Chem 21(6), 1549-1554. Details PubMed
(2013) Complement and innate immune evasion strategies of the human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans. Mol Immunol 56(3), 161-169. Details PubMed
(2013) A core filamentation response network in Candida albicans is restricted to eight genes. PLOS One 8(3), e58613. Details PubMed Open Access
(2012) Cellular responses of Candida albicans to phagocytosis and the extracellular activities of neutrophils are critical to counteract carbohydrate starvation, oxidative and nitrosative stress. PLOS One 7(12), e52850-e52850. Details PubMed
(2011) The Candida albicans-specific gene EED1 encodes a key regulator of hyphal extension. PLOS One 6(4), e18394. Details PubMed
(2011) Real-time PCR and quantitative culture for monitoring of experimental Aspergillus fumigatus intracranial infection in neutropenic mice. J Med Microbiol 60(Pt 7), 913-919. Details PubMed
(2011) The temporal dynamics of differential gene expression in Aspergillus fumigatus interacting with human immature dendritic cells in vitro. PLOS One 6(1), e16016-e16016. Details PubMed
(2011) Neisseria meningitidis adhesin NadA targets beta1 integrins: functional similarity to Yersinia invasin. J Biol Chem 286(23), 20536-20546. Details PubMed
(2011) Characterization of FarR as a highly specialized, growth phase-dependent transcriptional regulator in Neisseria meningitidis. Int J Med Microbiol 301(4), 325-333. Details PubMed
(2011) Pathogen-specific DNA enrichment does not increase sensitivity of PCR for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in neutropenic patients. J Clin Microbiol 49(4), 1267-1273. Details PubMed
(2009) The glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protease Sap9 modulates the interaction of Candida albicans with human neutrophils. Infect Immun 77(12), 5216-5224. Details PubMed
(2008) Induction of ERK-kinase signalling triggers morphotype-specific killing of Candida albicans filaments by human neutrophils. Cell Microbiol 10(3), 807-820. Details PubMed
(2007) The Aspergillus fumigatus transcriptional regulator AfYap1 represents the major regulator for defense against reactive oxygen intermediates but is dispensable for pathogenicity in an intranasal mouse infection model. Eukaryot Cell 6(12), 2290-2302. Details PubMed