Curriculum vitae

Main Research Areas
  • Infection biology of human pathogenic fungi (especially Candida albicans)
  • Infection biology of Neisseria meningitidis
Professional Career
Since 2017 Chair of Medical Microbiology and Mycology, Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, Julius Maximilians University Würzburg and head of the research group Fungal Septomics at Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans-Knöll-Institute Jena
2009-2016 Professor (W2) for Fungal Septomics, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena
2008 Habilitation in medical microbiology, University Würzburg
2006 Medical specialist in microbiology, virology and infection epidemiology (Bayerische Landesärztekammer)
2003 Head of a working group, Institut für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie, University Würzburg
2001-2002 Doctor in practical training (AiP), Institut für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie, University Würzburg
2002 Dr. med., “summa cum laude” University Würzburg
2001 Staatsexamen (state examination) in human medicine, University Würzburg
Awards · Appointments · Scientific Activities
Since 2014 Head of the Nationales Referenzzentrums für invasive Pilzinfektionen (NRZMyk)
Since 2013 Board member of the Integriertes Forschungs- und Behandlungszentrum “Center for Sepsis Control and Care” (CSCC) at the University Hospital Jena
Since 2012 Scientific Manager of the consortium “InfectControl 2020 – New Antiinfection Strategies – Science • Society • Economy” within the BMBF-Programme “Zwanzig 20 – Partnership for Innovation” (Head: Prof. A. Brakhage)
Since 2012 Editor-in-chief, Medical Mycology Case Reports, member (ex officio) of the executive board of the International Society for Human & Animal Mycology (ISHAM)
Since 2011 Elected note taker at the Deutschsprachige Mykologische Gesellschaft DMykG
2015-2016 Speaker of the ZIK Septomics
2011-2013 Editor, Journal of Basic Microbiology
2009 Hans-Rieth-poster prize from the Deutschsprachige Mykologische Gesellschaft (DMykG)
2008 Award from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie
2003 Science award from the Unterfränkische Gedenkjahrstiftung
2003 Dissertation award from the medical faculty of the University Würzburg
2002 Becton-Dickinson PhD award from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie

Publications

Wiese-Posselt M, Lâm TT, Schröder C, Schneider S, Kurzai O, Feufel MA, Gastmeier P (2023) Appropriate antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance: knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of medical students and their needs and preferences for learning. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 12(1), 48.
Aldejohann AM, Wiese-Posselt M, Gastmeier P, Kurzai O (2022) Expert recommendations for prevention and management of Candida auris transmission. Mycoses 65(6), 590-598. (Review)
Belyaev I*, Marolda A*, Praetorius JP, Sarkar A, Medyukhina A, Hünniger K, Kurzai O, Figge MT (2022) Automated characterisation of neutrophil activation phenotypes in ex vivo human Candida blood infections. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 20, 2297-2308.
Bloos F, Held J, Kluge S, Simon P, Kogelmann K, de Heer G, Kuhn SO, Jarczak D, Motsch J, Hempel G, Weiler N, Weyland A, Drüner M, Gründling M, Meybohm P, Richter D, Jaschinski U, Moerer O, Günther U, Schädler D, Weiss R, Putensen C, Castellanos I, Kurzai O, Schlattmann P, Cornely OA, Bauer M, Thomas-Rüddel D (2022) (1 → 3)-β-D-Glucan-guided antifungal therapy in adults with sepsis: the CandiSep randomized clinical trial. Intensive Care Med 48(7), 865-875.
Engels G, Forster J, Streng A, Rücker V, Rudolph P, Pietsch F, Wallstabe J, Wallstabe L, Krauthausen M, Schmidt J, Ludwig T, Bauer C, Gierszewski D, Bendig J, Timme S, Jans T, Weißbrich B, Romanos M, Dölken L, Heuschmann P, Härtel C, Gágyor I, Figge MT, Liese J, Kurzai O (2022) Acceptance of different self-sampling methods for semiweekly SARS-CoV-2 testing in asymptomatic children and childcare workers at German Day Care Centers: A nonrandomized controlled trial. JAMA Netw Open 5(9), e2231798.
Engels G, Hecker K, Forster J, Toepfner N, Hick E, Pietsch F, Heuschmann P, Berner R, Härtel C, Kurzai O, Petersmann A, Streng A, Liese J (2022) High Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Preschool Children in July 2022. Dtsch Arztebl Int 119(45), 771-772.
Forster J, Koc Ö, Koeppel MB, Hamprecht A, Kurzai O, Suerbaum S, Wagener J, Dichtl K (2022) β-1,3-D-glucan and galactomannan as biomarkers for the detection of invasive Geotrichum and Magnusiomyces infections: a retrospective evaluation. J Clin Microbiol 60(1), e0160721.
Forster J, Streng A, Rudolph P, Rücker V, Wallstabe J, Timme S, Pietsch F, Hartmann K, Krauthausen M, Schmidt J, Ludwig T, Gierszewski D, Jans T, Engels G, Weißbrich B, Romanos M, Dölken L, Heuschmann P, Härtel C, Gágyor I, Figge MT, Kurzai O, Liese J (2022) Feasibility of SARS-CoV-2 surveillance testing among children and childcare workers at German Day Care Centers: A nonrandomized controlled trial. JAMA Netw Open 5(1), e2142057.
Fuchs F, Aldejohann AM, Hoffmann AM, Walther G, Kurzai O, Hamprecht AG (2022) In vitro activity of nitroxoline in antifungal-resistant Candida species isolated from the urinary tract. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 66(6), e0226521.
Gierszewski D, Kurotschka PK, Krauthausen M, Fröhlich W, Forster J, Pietsch F, Streng A, Rücker V, Wallstabe J, Hartmann K, Jans T, Engels G, Romanos M, Heuschmann P, Härtel C, Kurzai O, Liese J, Gágyor I (2022) Parents' and childcare workers' perspectives toward SARS-CoV-2 test and surveillance protocols in pre-school children day care centers: A qualitative study within the German Wü-KiTa-CoV project. Front Med (Lausanne) 9, 897726.