Application of molecular methods and proteomics for  bacterial Infections

Research Topics

• Principle investigator in STREP-SME FP6, 2006-2009; European approach to combat outbreaks of Clostridium difficile infections by development of new diagnostic tests.
• Participant in FP7;  2008-2011: The Physiological Basis of Hypervirulence in Clostridium difficile: a Prerequisite for Effective Infection Control.
• National Reference laboratory for Clostridium difficile (in close collaboration with National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven).
• Surveillance of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea in Europe (in close collaboration with National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven and supported by a grant of  ECDC).
• Molecular epidemiology of pulmonary infections associated with Pneumocystis jirovecii . 
• Molecular characterization of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) producing bacteria.
• Molecular and immunological diagnostics of fungal infections.

Future Themes

• The application of array techniques for  rapid identification of resistant bacteria and fungi.   
•  Molecular diagnostics of enteropathogenic bacteria.
• Appllication and implementation of MALDI-TOF in clinical microbiology.

People working on the Project
 

Collaborators

• Dr. Eric C.J. Claas (Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center)
• Dr. Jeroen Corver (Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center)
• Celine Harmanus and Dennis Bakker (Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center)

Key Publications

• Van Doorn HR, Claas EC, Templeton KE, van der Zanden AG, te Koppele Vije A, de Jong MD, Dankert J, Kuijper EJ. Detection of a point mutation associated with high-level isoniazid resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis by using real-time PCR technology with 3'-minor groove binder-DNA probes. J Clin Microbiol. 2003:41: 4630-5.
• van den Berg RJ, Bruijnesteijn van Coppenraet LS, Gerritsen HJ, Endtz HP, van der Vorm ER, Kuijper EJ. Prospective multicenter evaluation of a new immunoassay and real-time PCR for rapid diagnosis of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea in hospitalized patients. J Clin Microbiol. 2005:43;5338-40
• van den Berg RJ,  Claas EC, Oyib DH, Klaassen CH,  Dijkshoorn L,  Brazier JS, and Ed J. Kuijper. Characterization of Toxin A-Negative, Toxin B-Positive Clostridium difficile Isolates from Outbreaks in Different Countries by Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism and PCR Ribotyping. J. Clin. Microbiol; 2004:42: 1035-1041
•  Kuijper EJ, Coignard B, Brazier JS, Suetens C, Drudy D, Wiuff C, Pituch H, Reichert P, Schneider F, Widmer AF, Olsen KE, Allerberger F, Notermans DW, Barbut F, Delmée M, Wilcox M, Pearson A, Patel BC, Brown DJ, Frei R, Akerlund T, Poxton IR, Tüll P. Update of Clostridium difficile-associated disease due to PCR ribotype 027 in Europe. Euro Surveill. 2007 Jun 1;12(6):E1-2
• Goorhuis A, Van der Kooi T, Vaessen N, Dekker FW, Van den Berg R, Harmanus C, van den Hof S, Notermans DW, Kuijper EJ. Spread and epidemiology of Clostridium difficile polymerase chain reaction ribotype 027/toxinotype III in The Netherlands. Clin Infect Dis. 2007 Sep 15;45(6):695-703.
• Kuijper EJ, van Dissel JT, Wilcox MH. Clostridium difficile: changing epidemiology and new treatment options. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2007 Aug;20(4):376-83
• van den Berg RJ, Vaessen N, Endtz HP, Schülin T, van der Vorm ER, Kuijper EJ.  Evaluation of real-time PCR and conventional diagnostic methods for the detection of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea in a prospective multicentre study. J Med Microbiol. 2007 Jan;56(Pt 1):36-42
• van den Berg RJ, Schaap I, Templeton KE, Klaassen CH, Kuijper EJ. Typing and subtyping of Clostridium difficile isolates by using multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis.  J Clin Microbiol. 2007 Mar;45(3):1024-8. 
• Kuijper EJ, Coignard B, Tüll P; ESCMID Study Group for Clostridium difficile; EU Member States; European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.  Emergence of Clostridium difficile-associated disease in North America and Europe. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2006 Oct;12 Suppl 6:2-18.