Oliver Kurzai

National Reference Center for Invasive Fungal Infections · Head Fungal Septomics · Head +49 3641 532-1347 oliver.kurzai@leibniz-hki.de

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

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.

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Barber AE^*, Weber M, Kaerger K, Linde J, Gölz H, Duerschmied D, Markert A, Guthke R, Walther G, Kurzai O (2019) Comparative genomics of serial Candida glabrata isolates and the rapid acquisition of echinocandin resistance during therapy. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 63(2), e01628-18.

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Guinea J, Verweij PE, Meletiadis J, Mouton JW, Barchiesi F, Arendrup MC, Arikan-Akdagli S, Barchiesi F, Castanheira M, Chryssanthou E, Friberg N, Guinea J, Järv H, Klimko N, Kurzai O, Lagrou K, Lass-Flörl C, Mares M, Matos T, Meletiadis J, Moore CB, Mouton JW, Muehlethaler K, Rogers TR, Andersen CT, Velegraki A (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. (Review)

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Hamprecht A, Barber AE, Mellinghoff SC, Thelen P, Walther G, Yu Y, Neurgaonkar P, Dandekar T, Cornely OA, Martin R, Kurzai O (2019) Candida auris in germany and previous exposure to foreign healthcare. Emerg Infect Dis 25(9), 1763-1765.

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Koehler P, Arendrup MC, Arikan-Akdagli S, Bassetti M, Bretagne S, Klingspor L, Lagrou K, Meis JF, Rautemaa-Richardson R, Schelenz S, Hamprecht A, Koehler FC, Kurzai O, Salmanton-García J, Vehreschild JJ, Alanio A, Alastruey-Izquierdo A, Arsic Arsenijevic V, Gangneux JP, Gow NAR, Hadina S, Hamal P, Johnson E, Klimko N, Lass-Flörl C, Mares M, Özenci V, Papp T, Roilides E, Sabino R, Segal E, Talento AF, Tortorano AM, Verweij PE, Hoenigl M, Cornely OA (2019) ECMM CandiReg-A ready to use platform for outbreaks and epidemiological studies. Mycoses 62(10), 920-927.

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Nesseler A, Schauerte N, Geiger C, Kaerger K, Walther G, Kurzai O, Eisenberg T (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.

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Pérez-Hansen A, Lass-Flörl C, Lackner M, Aigner M, Alastruey-Izquierdo A, Arikan-Akdagli S, Bader O, Becker K, Boekhout T, Buzina W, Cornely OA, Hamal P, Kidd SE, Kurzai O, Lagrou K, Lopes Colombo A, Mares M, Masoud H, Meis JF, Oliveri S, Rodloff AC, Orth-Höller D, Guerrero-Lozano I, Sanguinetti M, Segal E, Taj-Aldeen SJ, Tortorano AM, Trovato L, Walther G, Willinger B (2019) Antifungal susceptibility profiles of rare ascomycetous yeasts. J Antimicrob Chemother 74(9), 2649-2656.

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Roth M, Daas L, Renner-Wilde A, Cvetkova-Fischer N, Saeger M, Herwig-Carl M, Matthaei M, Fekete A, Kakkassery V, Walther G, von Lilienfeld-Toal M, Mertens C, Lenk J, Mehlan J, Fischer C, Fuest M, Kroll S, Bayoudh W, Viestenz A, Frings A, MacKenzie CR, Messmer EM, Seitz B, Kurzai O, Geerling G (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.

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Springer J, Walther G, Rickerts V, Hamprecht A, Willinger B, Teschner D, Einsele H, Kurzai O, Loeffler J (2019) Detection of fusarium species in clinical specimens by probe-based real-time PCR. J Fungi (Basel) 5(4), 105.

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Vivas W, Leonhardt I, Hünniger K, Häder A, Marolda A, Kurzai O (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.

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