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

Krone M, Gütling J, Wagener J, Lâm TT, Schoen C, Vogel U, Stich A, Wedekink F, Wischhusen J, Kerkau T, Beyersdorf N, Klingler S, Backes S, Dölken L, Gasteiger G, Kurzai O, Schubert-Unkmeir A (2021) Performance of three SARS-CoV-2 immunoassays, three rapid lateral flow tests, and a novel bead-based affinity surrogate test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in human serum. J Clin Microbiol 59(8), e0031921.
Lehnert T*, Leonhardt I*, Timme S, Thomas-Rüddel D, Bloos F, Sponholz C, Kurzai O, Figge MT#, Hünniger K# (2021) Ex vivo immune profiling in patient blood enables quantification of innate immune effector functions. Sci Rep 11(1), 12039.
Loos D*, Zhang L, Beemelmanns C, Kurzai O, Panagiotou G# (2021) DAnIEL: A user-friendly web server for fungal ITS amplicon sequencing data. Front Microbiol 12, 720513.
Machata S, Sreekantapuram S, Hünniger K, Kurzai O, Dunker C, Schubert K, Krüger W, Schulze-Richter B, Speth C, Rambach G, Jacobsen ID (2021) Significant differences in host-pathogen interactions between murine and human whole blood. Front Immunol 11, 565869.
Mottola A, Ramírez-Zavala B, Hünniger K, Kurzai O, Morschhäuser J (2021) The zinc cluster transcription factor Czf1 regulates cell wall architecture and integrity in Candida albicans. Mol Microbiol 116(2), 483-497.
Roth M, Holtmann C, Daas L, Kakkassery V, Kurzai O, Geerling G, Bäurle S, Bayoudh W, Brücher V, Cvetkova-Fischer N, Dias Blak M, Bornstein A, Fischer C, Fuest M, Grisanti S, Herwig-Carl M, Kroll S, Lenk J, Lommatzsch C, MacKenzie C, Matthaei M, Mehlan J, Messmer E, Müller V, Pawlik V, Ranjbar M, Renner-Wilde A, Rickmann A, Saeger M, Schargus M, Schwarz L, Seitz B, Steindor F, Unterlauf JD, Viestenz A, von Lilienfeld-Toal M, Walther G (2021) Results from the German fungal keratitis registry: Significant differences between cases with and without a history of contact lens use. Cornea 40(11), 1453-1461.
Sattler J, Noster J, Brunke A, Plum G, Wiegel P, Kurzai O, Meis JF, Hamprecht A (2021) Comparison of two commercially available qPCR kits for the detection of Candida auris. J Fungi (Basel) 7(2), 154.
Schneitler S, Bub F, Benthien S, Lepper PM, Kurzai O, Becker SL, Roth S (2021) Floating fungus balls in a blood culture bottle. Clin Microbiol Infect 27(12), 1790-1791.
Siscar-Lewin S, Gabaldón T, Aldejohann AM, Kurzai O, Hube B, Brunke S (2021) Transient mitochondria dysfunction confers fungal cross-resistance against phagocytic killing and fluconazole. mBio 12(3), e0112821.
Springer J, Held J, Mengoli C, Schlegel PG, Gamon F, Träger J, Kurzai O, Einsele H, Loeffler J, Eyrich M (2021) Diagnostic performance of (1→3)-β-D-glucan alone and in combination with Aspergillus PCR and galactomannan in serum of pediatric patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. J Fungi (Basel) 7(3), 238.