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

Hagemann JB, Furitsch M, Wais V, Bunjes D, Walther G, Kurzai O, Essig A (2020) First case of fatal Rhizomucor miehei endocarditis in an immunocompromised patient. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 98(2), 115106.
Kämmer P, McNamara S*, Wolf T, Conrad T, Allert S, Gerwien F, Hünniger K, Kurzai O, Guthke R, Hube B, Linde J, Brunke S (2020) Survival strategies of pathogenic Candida species in human blood show independent and specific adaptations. mBio 11(5), e02435-20.
Marolda A, Hünniger K, Böttcher S, Vivas W, Löffler J, Figge MT, Kurzai O (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.
Plachouras D, Lötsch F, Kohlenberg A, Monnet DL, Kurzai O, Candida auris survey collaborative group (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.
Ruben S, Garbe E, Mogavero S, Albrecht-Eckardt D, Hellwig D, Häder A, Krüger T, Gerth K, Jacobsen ID, Elshafee O, Brunke S, Hünniger K, Kniemeyer O, Brakhage AA, Morschhäuser J, Hube B, Vylkova S, Kurzai O, Martin R (2020) Ahr1 and Tup1 contribute to the transcriptional control of virulence-associated genes in Candida albicans. mBio 11(2), e00206-20.
Seif M, Häder A, Löffler J, Kurzai O (2020) From bench to bedside - translational approaches in anti-fungal immunology. Curr Opin Microbiol 58, 153-159. (Review)
von Jagow B, Kurzai O, Kakkassery V (2020) Case report: Beyond the blood-retina barrier: Intravitreal caspofungin for fungal endophthalmitis. Optom Vis Sci 97(7), 473-476.
Wagner L, Stielow JB, de Hoog GS, Bensch K, Schwartze VU, Voigt K, Alastruey-Izquierdo A, Kurzai O, Walther G (2020) A new species concept for the clinically relevant Mucor circinelloides complex. Persoonia 44, 67-97.
Weiss E, Schlegel J, Terpitz U, Weber M, Linde J, Schmitt AL, Hünniger K, Marischen L, Gamon F, Bauer J, Löffler C, Kurzai O, Morton CO, Sauer M, Einsele H, Loeffler J (2020) Reconstituting NK cells after allogeneic stem cell transplantation show impaired response to the fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. Front Immunol 11, 2117.
Al-Zaben N*, Medyukhina A*, Dietrich S, Marolda A, Hünniger K, Kurzai O, Figge MT; *authors contributed equally (2019) Automated tracking of label-free cells with enhanced recognition of whole tracks. Sci Rep 9(1), 3317.