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

Vaezi A, Walther G, Kurzai O, Mahdi D, Dadashzadeh M, Nasri E, Diba K, Badali H, Fakhim H (2021) Frequency of occurrence, seasonal variation and antifungal susceptibility of opportunistic Mucorales isolated from hospital soils in Iran. Mycoses 64(7), 780-787.
Wagenhäuser I, Knies K, Rauschenberger V, Eisenmann M, McDonogh M, Petri N, Andres O, Flemming S, Gawlik M, Papsdorf M, Taurines R, Böhm H, Forster J, Weismann D, Weißbrich B, Dölken L, Liese J, Kurzai O, Vogel U, Krone M (2021) Clinical performance evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen testing in point of care usage in comparison to RT-qPCR. EBioMedicine 69, 103455.
Walther G, Zimmermann A, Theuersbacher J, Kaerger K, von Lilienfeld-Toal M, Roth M, Kampik D, Geerling G, Kurzai O (2021) Eye infections caused by filamentous fungi: Spectrum and antifungal susceptibility of the prevailing agents in germany. J Fungi (Basel) 7(7), 511.
Apsemidou A, Füller MA, Idelevich EA, Kurzai O, Tragiannidis A, Groll AH (2020) Candida lusitaniae breakthrough fungemia in an immuno-compromised adolescent: Case report and review of the literature. J Fungi (Basel) 6(4), 380.
Arend N, Pittner A, Ramoji A, Mondol AS, Dahms M, Rüger J, Kurzai O, Schie IW, Bauer M, Popp J, Neugebauer U (2020) Detection and differentiation of bacterial and fungal infection of Neutrophils from peripheral blood using Raman Spectroscopy. Anal Chem 92(15), 10560-10568.
Arendrup MC, Friberg N, Mares M, Kahlmeter G, Meletiadis J, Kurzai O, Guinea J, Subcommittee on Antifungal Susceptibility Testing (AFST) of the ESCMID European Committee for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) (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)
Barber AE, Riedel J, Sae-Ong T, Kang K, Brabetz W, Panagiotou G, Deising HB, Kurzai O (2020) Effects of agricultural fungicide use on Aspergillus fumigatus abundance, antifungal susceptibility, and population structure. mBio 11(6), e02213-20.
Barber AE, Scheufen S, Walther G, Kurzai O, Schmidt V (2020) Low rate of azole resistance in cases of avian aspergillosis in Germany. Med Mycol 58(8), 1187-1190.
Chow NA, Muñoz JF, Gade L, Berkow EL, Li X, Welsh RM, Forsberg K, Lockhart SR, Adam R, Alanio A, Alastruey-Izquierdo A, Althawadi S, Araúz AB, Ben-Ami R, Bharat A, Calvo B, Desnos-Ollivier M, Escandón P, Gardam D, Gunturu R, Heath CH, Kurzai O, Martin R, Litvintseva AP, Cuomo CA. (2020) Tracing the evolutionary history and global expansion of Candida auris using population genomic analyses. mBio 11(2), e03364-19.
Geiser DM, Al-Hatmi A, Aoki T, Arie T, Balmas V, Barnes I, Bergstrom GC, Bhattacharyya MKK, Blomquist CL, Bowden R, Brankovics B, Brown DW, Burgess LW, Bushley K, Busman M, Cano-Lira JF, Carrillo JD, Chang HX, Chen CY, Chen W, Chilvers MI, Chulze SN, Coleman JJ, Cuomo CA, de Beer ZW, de Hoog GS, Del Castillo-Múnera J, Del Ponte E, Diéguez-Uribeondo J, Di Pietro A, Edel-Hermann V, Elmer WH, Epstein L, Eskalen A, Esposto MC, Everts KL, Fernández-Pavía SP, da Silva GF, Foroud NA, Fourie G, Frandsen RJN, Freeman S, Freitag M, Frenkel O, Fuller KK, Gagkaeva T, Gardiner DM, Glenn AE, Gold S, Gordon T, Gregory NF, Gryzenhout M, Guarro J, Gugino B, Gutiérrez S, Hammond-Kosack K, Harris LJ, Homa M, Hong CF, Hornok L, Huang JW, Ilkit M, Jacobs A, Jacobs K, Jiang C, Jimenez-Gasco MDM, Kang S, Kasson MT, Kazan K, Kennell JC, Kim H, Kistler HC, Kuldau GA, Kulik T, Kurzai O, Laraba I, Laurence MH, Lee TY, Lee YW, Lee YH, Leslie JF, Liew ECY, Lofton LW, Logrieco A, Sánchez López-Berges M, Luque AG, Lysøe E, Ma LJ, Marra RE, Martin FN, May SR, McCormick S, McGee CT, Meis JF, Migheli Q, Mohamed Nor NMI, Monod M, Moretti A, Mostert D, Mulé G, Munaut F, Munkvold GP, Nicholson P, Nucci M, O'Donnell K, Pasquali M, Pfenning LH, Prigitano A, Proctor R, Ranque S, Rehner S, Rep M, Rodríguez-Alvarado G, Rose LJ, Roth MG, Ruiz-Roldán C, Saleh AA, Salleh B, Sang H, Scandiani M, Scauflaire J, Schmale D 3rd, Short DP, Šišić A, Smith J, Smyth CW, Son H, Spahr E, Stajich JE, Steenkamp E, Steinberg C, Subramaniam R, Suga H, Summerell BA, Susca A, Swett CL, Toomajian C, Torres-Cruz TJ, Tortorano AM, Urban M, Vaillancourt LJ, Vallad GE, van der Lee T, Vanderpool D, van Diepeningen AD, Vaughan M, Venter E, Vermeulen M, Verweij PE, Viljoen A, Waalwijk C, Wallace EC, Walther G, Wang J, Ward T, Wickes B, Wiederhold NP, Wingfield MJ, Wood AKM, Xu JR, Yang XB, Yli-Matilla T, Yun SH, Zakaria L, Zhang H, Zhang N, Zhang S, Zhang X (2020) Phylogenomic analysis of a 55.1 kb 19-gene dataset resolves a monophyletic Fusarium that includes the Fusarium solani species complex. Phytopathology [Accepted]