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      Sebastian Wurster Image

      Sebastian Wurster, MD, MSc

      Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control, and Employee Health, Division of Internal Medicine

      Present Title & Affiliation

      Primary Appointment

      Junior Lead Experimental Mycology - Mycology Research Center, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas

      Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston

      Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment

      Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston

      Education & Training

      Degree-Granting Education

      2015Julius-Maximilians University, Wuerzburg, DE, MD
      2014Julius-Maximilians University, Wuerzburg, DE, M.S. in Experimental Medicine
      2013Julius-Maximilians University, Wurzburg, DE, Medical State Examination

      Postgraduate Training

      2018-2019Research Fellowship, Experimental and translational mycology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
      2014-2018Research Fellowship, Clinical research (prophylaxis and treatment of opportunistic infections) and laboratory research in experimental mycology, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg

      Licenses & Certifications

      2013German Medical License (Approbation)

      Experience & Service

      Faculty Academic Appointments

      Instructor, Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health - Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2020 - 2021

      Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities

      Chair Elect, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2025 - Present

      Extramural Institutional Committee Activities

      Member, Academic Career Development Committee, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2025 - Present

      Co-Chair, Research Faculty Task Force of the Faculty Senate, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2024 - 2025

      Member, Faculty Senate, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2022 - 2025

      Member, Academic Review Committee, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2022 - 2024

      Deputy Chair (1/21-8/23), Chair (9/23-8/24), Past Chair (9/24-8/25), Member (since 9/25), Division of Internal Medicine Research Grand Rounds Committee, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2021 - Present

      Member, Division of Internal Medicine Research Committee, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2020 - Present

      Member, IOTOX Retreat Subcommittee, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2020 - Present

      Member (4/2024-6/2025), Chair-Elect (6/2025-8/2026), Chair (from 9/2026), Junior Faculty Committee, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

      Editorial Activities

      Guest Editor, Journal of Fungi, 2023 - 2025

      Review Editor, Frontiers in Immunology, 2022 - Present

      Review Editor, Frontiers in Microbiology, 2022 - Present

      Review Editor, Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 2022 - Present

      Review Editor, Frontiers in Fungal Biology, 2022 - Present

      Guest Editor, Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2021 - Present

      Honors & Awards

      2026 - PresentPoster Award, Immunocompromised Host Society
      2026 - PresentTop Reviewer of the Quarter, Clinical Infectious Diseases
      2026 - PresentFinalist/Nominee, Internal Medicine Excellence Award - Research, MD Anderson Cancer Center
      2025Thomas J. Walsh Young Investigator Award, Medical Mycology Society of the Americas
      2025Finalist, Cyrus Scholar Award for Outstanding Clinical Research in Internal Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center
      2024Best Abstract Award, Immunocompromised Host Society
      2024Peter G. Pappas 1st Place Poster Award, Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium
      2024Featured in "Top Papers in Medical Mycology" Session at ID Week
      2023Young Investigator Award, Journal of Fungi
      2023Top-rated abstract award, European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
      2022Poster Award, Advances Against Aspergillosis & Mucormycosis
      2021Cyrus Scholar Award for Outstanding Basic/Translational Research in Internal Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Division of Internal Medicine
      2019Bristol-Myers-Squibb Award in Translational Science, MD Anderson Cancer Center
      2016Poster Award, Paul-Ehrlich Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
      2016Seal of Excellence, European Commission Horizon 2020 MSCA-GF
      2015Summa cum laude for German Medical Doctorate
      2014Master of Science "with distinction" (Top 1%)
      2013Top 1% in German Medical State Examination
      2008 - 2009Medical doctoral stipend, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Transregio 17, Ras-dependent Pathways in Human Cancer

      Professional Memberships

      International Immunotherapy Society Fungal Diseases

      2025 - Present

      MSGERC Host Biomarker Working Group

      2025 - Present

      Medical Mycological Society of the Americas

      2023 - Present

      Infectious Diseases Society of America

      2022 - Present

      Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium

      2022 - Present

      TR124 Funginet, Pathogenic fungi and their human host: Networks of interaction

      2021 - 2025

      Selected Presentations & Talks

      Local Presentations

      1. 2026. Lessons I Learned During My Tenure, featuring Dr. Carin Hagberg. Panelist. Houston, Texas, US.
      2. 2026. A novel infection model to study immunobiology, antifungal pharmacotherapy, and immuno-modulatory therapy of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in mice with acute myeloid leukemia. Poster. Biennial Conference of the Immunocompromised Host Society. Houston, Texas, US.
      3. 2022. Checkpoint inhibitors as an immunotherapy for mold pneumonia and fungal sepsis – growing promise and unanswered questions. Invited. Houston, Texas, US.
      4. 2019. Alveolar in vitro models of invasive mold infections. Invited. Houston, Texas, US.

      Regional Presentations

      1. 2024. CAR T-cell & NK-cell therapy against infectious diseases. Invited. Vaccine Development Center of San Antonio Conference 2024. San Antonio, Texas, US.

      National Presentations

      1. 2026. A novel infection model to study immunobiology, antifungal pharmacotherapy, and immuno-modulatory therapy of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in mice with acute myeloid leukemia. Poster. Gordon Research Conference “Biology of Acute Respiratory Infection”. Los Angeles, California, US.
      2. 2025. New perspectives on antifungal immunotherapy. Invited. Medical Mycology Society of the Americas Award Lectures. Virtual, US.
      3. 2025. Immunotherapy with nebulized Toll-like receptor agonists restores severe immune paralysis and improves outcomes in mice with influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis. Poster. Gordon Research Conference "Immunology of Fungal Infections". Ventura, CA, US.
      4. 2024. Early combination therapy with isavuconazole and immune checkpoint inhibitors improves infection outcomes and alleviates paralyzed antifungal host immunity in neutropenic mice with invasive pulmonary mucormycosis. Poster. IDWeek 2024. Los Angeles, California, US.
      5. 2024. Immunotherapy with Nebulized Toll-Like Receptor Agonists Restores Severe Immune Paralysis and Improves Outcomes in Mice with Influenza-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis. Poster. IDWeek 2024. Los Angeles, California, US.
      6. 2024. Early combination therapy with isavuconazole and anti-PD-L1 improves outcomes and alleviates immune paralysis in a murine model of invasive pulmonary mucormycosis. Conference. Mycoses Study Group Education & Research Consortium Biennial Symposium 2024. Colorado Springs, Colorado, US.
      7. 2024. Blastemia is a poor prognostic factor in leukemia patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Poster. Mycoses Study Group Education & Research Consortium Biennial Symposium 2024. Colorado Springs, Colorado, US.
      8. 2024. Immunotherapy with Nebulized Toll-Like Receptor Agonists Restores Severe Immune Paralysis and Improves Outcomes in Mice with Influenza-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis. Poster. Mycoses Study Group Education & Research Consortium Biennial Symposium 2024. Colorado Springs, Colorado, US.
      9. 2024. Invasive pulmonary mucormycosis is associated with significant immune paralysis that can be restored by early deployment of adjunct immunomodulatory therapy. Poster. Gordon Research Conference “Biology of Acute Respiratory Infection”. Galveston, Texas, US.
      10. 2023. Discordant Chest Radiography and Computed Tomography Findings in Patients with Hematologic Malignancy and Invasive Mucormycosis: What Are the Prognostic Implications?. Poster. IDWeek 2023. Boston, MA, US.
      11. 2023. Histopathology of Cutaneous Invasive Fungal Infections in a Tertiary Cancer Center: Causes, Discordance with Culture, and Histopathologic Determinants of Outcome. Poster. IDWeek 2023. Boston, MA, US.
      12. 2023. Pulmonary Transcriptomics Reveal Immune Dysfunction and Exhaustion in Mice with Invasive Pulmonary Mucormycosis, Partially Restored by PD-L1 Immune Checkpoint Blockade. Conference. Gordon Research Conference Immunology of Fungal Infections 2023. Galveston, TX, US.
      13. 2022. A Multifaceted and Multi-Institutional Analysis of the COVID19-Associated Mucormycosis Outbreak in the Delhi Area Indicates the Simultaneous Convergence of Multiple Risk Factors. Poster. IDWeek 2022. Washington, DC, US.
      14. 2022. Immunotherapy with Synergistic Pattern Recognition Receptor Agonists Improves Morbidity and Mortality in a Corticosteroid-Immunosuppressed Murine Model of Influenza-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis. Poster. IDWeek 2022. Washington, DC, US.
      15. 2022. Defining a unique research nice at the crossroads of mycology, immunology, and oncology. Invited. Mycoses Study Group Education & Research Consortium Biennial Symposium 2022. Albuquerque, NM, US.
      16. 2022. Establishment of a post-influenza aspergillosis model in corticosteroid-immunosuppressed mice. Poster. Advances against Aspergillosis & Mucormycosis 2022. Virtual, US.
      17. 2021. Establishment of a post-influenza aspergillosis model in corticosteroid-immunosuppressed mice. Conference. IDWeek 2021. Virtual, US.
      18. 2021. Blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint pathway in murine mucormycosis. Poster. IDWeek 2021. Virtual, US.
      19. 2021. Immune checkpoint blockade confers protective. Invited. MSGERC Virtual Symposium. Virtual, US.
      20. 2019. Shear Forces Induce a Transient, Calcineurin-Dependent Hyper-Virulent Phenotype in Mucorales via Soluble Factors. Poster. IDWeek 2019. Washington, DC, US.
      21. 2019. Establishment of a Novel High-Throughput Fungal Infection Model in Zebrafish Larvae by Controlled Ablation of Epithelial Cells. Poster. IDWeek 2019. Washington, DC, US.
      22. 2019. PD-1 Immune Checkpoint Blockade Improves Survival and Promotes Fungal Clearance in an Immunosup-pressed Murine Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis (IPA) Model. Conference. IDWeek 2019. Washington, DC, US.
      23. 2018. Drosophila melanogaster as a facile model for large-scale studies of virulence mechanisms and antifungal drug efficacy in Candida auris candidiasis. Poster. IDWeek 2018. San Francisco, CA, US.
      24. 2015. Frequencies of A. fumigatus specific T-cells in healthy adults depend on mold exposure in the residential and professional environment. Poster. Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 2015. San Diego, CA, US.
      25. 2015. Quantification of A. fumigatus specific CD154+ T-cells – a spotlight on pre-analytics. Poster. Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 2015. San Diego, CA, US.

      International Presentations

      1. 2026. A novel infection model to study immunobiology, antifungal pharmacotherapy, and immuno-modulatory therapy of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in mice with acute myeloid leukemia. Conference. Inaugural Conference of the International Immunotherapy Society – Fungal Diseases. Heraklion, GR.
      2. 2026. Making it practical: Patients, biospecimens, and logistics for cellular and non-cellular immune therapies. Panelist. Inaugural Conference of the International Immunotherapy Society – Fungal Diseases. Heraklion, GR.
      3. 2026. A novel infection model to study immunobiology, antifungal pharmacotherapy, and immuno-modulatory therapy of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in mice with acute myeloid leukemia. Conference. ESCMID Global 2026. Munich, DE.
      4. 2025. High-dose isavuconazole is well-tolerated, significantly improves survival, and decreases fungal burden in a fruit fly model of invasive mucormycosis. Poster. Trends in Medical Mycology 2025. Bilbao, ES.
      5. 2025. Early adjunct anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy improves outcomes and restores infection-induced immune paralysis in mice with invasive pulmonary mucormycosis. Poster. Trends in Medical Mycology 2025. Bilbao, ES.
      6. 2025. Leveraging clinical insights and preclinical research to advance personalized management of invasive mold infections. Visiting. Wurzburg, DE.
      7. 2025. New perspectives on antifungal immunotherapy. Invited. 59th Scientific Conference of the German Mycological Society (DMykG) 2025. Cologne, DE.
      8. 2025. How often does mucormycosis contribute to mortality in hematologic malignancy patients? An analysis of 103 patients over 20 years. Conference. Trends in Medical Mycology 2025. Bilbao, ES.
      9. 2025. How often does mucormycosis contribute to mortality in hematologic malignancy patients? An analysis of 103 patients over 20 years. Conference. ESCMID Global 2025. Vienna, AT.
      10. 2025. High-dose isavuconazole therapy is well-tolerated and significantly improves survival in a fruit fly model of invasive mucormycosis. Conference. ESCMID Global 2025. Vienna, AT.
      11. 2024. Isavuconazole and micafungin elicit synergistic antifungal activity against azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus and stimulate hyphal inactivation by mononuclear phagocytes. Poster. ESCMID Global 2024. Barcelona, ES.
      12. 2024. Early deployment of antifungal and immunomodulatory combination therapy strongly improves morbidity and mortality in neutropaenic mice with invasive pulmonary mucormycosis. Conference. ESCMID Global 2024. Barcelona, ES.
      13. 2023. Pathogenesis of invasive fungal infections after viral pneumonia and novel avenues of immunotherapies to treat post-viral mycoses. Visiting. Wurzburg, DE.
      14. 2023. Histopathology of Cutaneous Invasive Fungal Infections in a Tertiary Cancer Center: Causes, Discordance with Culture, and Histopathologic Determinants of Outcome. Poster. Trends in Medical Mycology 2023. Athens, GR.
      15. 2023. Immunotherapy with nebulized pattern recognition receptor agonists improves clinical outcomes and pulmonary immunopathology in mice with influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis. Conference. Trends in Medical Mycology 2023. Athens, GR.
      16. 2023. Medical Mycology Excellence Center (MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA). Invited. Trends in Medical Mycology 2023. Athens, GR.
      17. 2023. Correlating clinical manifestations, endoscopic grade, and pathological data in esophageal candidiasis in contemporary cancer patients: a single institution experience. Poster. European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 2023. Copenhagen, DK.
      18. 2023. Pulmonary Transcriptomics Reveal Immune Dysfunction and Exhaustion in Mice with Invasive Pulmonary Mucormycosis, Partially Restored by PD-L1 Immune Checkpoint Blockade. Conference. European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 2023. Copenhagen, DK.
      19. 2022. Blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint pathway enhances host defense against Mucorales and improves outcomes in a murine model of invasive pulmonary mucormycosis. Conference. European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 2022. Lisbon / Virtual, PT.
      20. 2021. Checkpoint inhibitors as an immunotherapy for mold pneumonia and fungal sepsis – growing promise and unanswered questions. Visiting. Wurzburg, DE.
      21. 2021. Research in the US as postdoc or junior faculty - insights from a European MD. Invited. Ankara, TR.
      22. 2019. Mini-host models of invasive mycoses – recent advances. Visiting. German Research Foundation TR124, Invasive Mycoses in Hematological Malignancies 2019. Wurzburg, DE.
      23. 2017. Environmental mould exposure leads to elevated Mucorales specific T-helper and T-memory cell frequencies in healthy adults. Poster. European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 2017. Vienna, AT.
      24. 2017. Receptor expression and epithelial damage response to pathogenic Mucorales species characterized in an alveolar bilayer model. Conference. European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 2017. Vienna, AT.
      25. 2016. Update on the immunopathology of invasive mycoses. Invited. Paul-Ehrlich Society (PEG), Annual Conference 2016, Section: Antifungal Chemotherapy. Bonn, DE.
      26. 2016. Ciclosporin A, MMF, and prednisolone lead to reduced sensitivity of the quantification of Aspergillus-specific T-cells. Conference. European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 2016. Amsterdam, NL.
      27. 2016. Exposure to Aspergillus spores in a scientific laboratory is associated with elevated specific T-cell frequencies in laboratory personnel. Poster. Advances against Aspergillosis 2016. Manchester, GB.
      28. 2015. Germinated stages of Rhizopus arrhizus are recognized by human neutrophils in a TLR2-, TLR4- and Dectin-1 dependent manner. Conference. Trends in Medical Mycology 2015. Lisbon, PT.
      29. 2015. Dormant Mucorales conidia trigger a proinflammatory cytokine response in human mononuclear phagocytes. Poster. European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 2015. Copenhagen, DK.

      Formal Peers

      1. 2025. Leveraging clinical insights and preclinical research to advance personalized management of invasive mold infections in patients with hematologic malignancies, US.
      2. 2023. Checkpoint inhibitors as an immunotherapy for invasive fungal infections – How can we close the evidence-to-practice gap?. Houston, Texas, US.
      3. 2023. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors as an Immunotherapy for Opportunistic Fungal Infections – Ready for Prime Time?. Houston, Texas, US.
      4. 2023. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors as an Immunotherapy for Opportunistic Fungal Infections – Ready for Prime Time?. Houston, Texas, US.
      5. 2021. Mini-host models for studying opportunistic mycoses: from flies to fish. Houston, Texas, US.
      6. 2019. Establishment of a novel high-throughput fungal infection model in zebrafish larvae by controlled ablation of epithelial cells. Houston, Texas, US.
      Read More
      Less

      Grant & Contract Support

      Date: 2026 - 2028
      Title:Immuno-protection and adjunctive therapeutic efficacy of nebulized pattern recognition receptor agonists in immunosuppressed mice with mold pneumonia
      Funding Source:NIH/NIAID
      Role:Co-I
      ID:R21 AI195288
      Date: 2025 - 2030
      Title:When molds go viral: Dissecting the pathogenesis of post-viral Aspergillus pneumonias to guide immunomodulatory therapy in immunocompromised hosts
      Funding Source:NIH/NIAID
      Role:PI
      ID:K01 AI192505
      Date: 2025 - 2026
      Title:Impact of fosmanogepix on the innate immune response to clinically important mold pathogens
      Funding Source:Basilea
      Role:Co-PI
      Date: 2025 - 2030
      Title:Deciphering Immunopathogenesis of MUCORmycosis to ADVANCE Risk stratificationStratification, Diagnosis and Management of the Disease (MUCOR-ADVANCE)
      Funding Source:NIH/NIAID
      Role:Co-I
      ID:P01 AI-33179
      Date: 2024 - 2026
      Title:OPTI-CELL: Development and validation of a predictive immune cell assay to optimize the management of HCMV infections after allogenic stem cell transplantation
      Funding Source:Wilhelm Sander Foundation
      Role:Collaborator
      Date: 2023 - 2025
      Title:Defining the isavuconazole dose escalation ceiling against Mucorales
      Funding Source:Astellas Pharma
      Role:Co-PI
      ID:CRES-22I03
      Date: 2023 - 2024
      Title:Exploring the synergy of isavuconazole and immunomodulators in a neutropenic mouse model of mucormycosis
      Funding Source:Astellas Pharma
      Role:Co-PI
      ID:CRES-22I04
      Date: 2022 - 2026
      Title:Understanding the mechanisms and clinical implications of triazole priming in Aspergillus fumigatus
      Funding Source:Binational Science Foundation (US/Israel)
      Role:Investigator
      ID:BSF 2021063
      Date: 2022 - 2024
      Title:Development of an acute myeloid leukemia murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis to gain insights into the role of leukemia and its treatments in the pathobiology of aspergillosis
      Funding Source:NIH/NIAID
      Role:Co-I
      ID:R03 AI-166285
      Date: 2022 - 2023
      Title:Development of an invasive aspergillosis model in mice with acute myeloid leukemia to study antifungal immunotherapy
      Funding Source:The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
      Role:PI
      Date: 2021 - 2023
      Title:Direct and immune cell-mediated synergism of isavuconazole and micafungin against echinocandin-resistant Candida glabrata, echinocandin-resistant Candida auris, and azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus
      Funding Source:Astellas Pharma
      Role:Co-PI
      ID:CRES-21F02
      Date: 2020 - 2023
      Title:Post influenza aspergillosis and the effect of liposomal amphotericin B and oseltamivir in a corticosteroid-immunosuppressed murine model of influenza
      Funding Source:Gilead
      Role:Co-PI
      ID:IN-US-131-5756
      Date: 2020 - 2022
      Title:Checkpoint inhibitor therapy to harness host immunity against emerging mold pathogens
      Funding Source:MD Anderson Cancer Center, Division of Internal Medicine
      Role:PI
      Date: 2019 - 2020
      Title:Invasive Mold Infections at MD Anderson pre and post hurricane Harvey
      Funding Source:Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
      Role:Investigator
      ID:CDC 75D30119C05279
      Date: 2018 - 2022
      Title:Redirected T Cell Therapy to Cure Invasive Fungal Infections
      Funding Source:NIH/NIAID
      Role:Key
      ID:R33 AI-127381
      Date: 2018 - 2019
      Title:Study of the checkpoint inhibitors with or without antifungals on the natural history of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis
      Funding Source:NIH/NIAID
      Role:Key
      ID:RO3 AI-37754
      Date: 2015 - 2017
      Title:Host-pathogen interaction in mucormycosis
      Funding Source:Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZFK) Wuerzburg
      Role:PI
      ID:IZKF Z-3/56

      Selected Publications

      Peer-Reviewed Articles

      1. Wurster, ST, García, JP, Wang, Y, Albert, ND, Bharadwaj, U, Matula, LM, Lewis, RE, Evans, S, Kontoyiannis, DP. Early adjunct anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy improves outcomes and restores infection-induced immune paralysis in mice with invasive pulmonary mucormycosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 123(21), 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 42160348.
      2. Lauruschkat, CD, Görge, H, Knie, K, Weißbrich, B, Dölken, L, Köchel, C, Imhof, N, Huber, M, Hengel, H, Einsele, H, Wurster, S, Kraus, S. Human cytomegalovirus control in allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients in the letermovir era – emerging humoral and cellular players. Haematologica 111(4):1265-1279, 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 41307128.
      3. Heilig L, Bussemer L, Strobel L, Hunniger-Ast K, Kurzai O, Grothey A, Dolken L, Laib Sampaio K, Panagiotou G, Westermann AJ, Einsele H, Wurster S, Schauble S, Loffler J. Unveiling immune interference: how the dendritic cell response to co-infection with Aspergillus fumigatus is modulated by human cytomegalovirus and its virokine (CMV)IL-10. mBio 16(11):e0154125, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40980889.
      4. Cho, SY, Wurster, ST, Jiang, Y, Bazinet, A, Hui, Y, Lewis, RE, Matsuo, T, Albert, ND, Garcia-Manero, G, Kontoyiannis, DP. Blastemia portrays a poor prognosis in acute leukemia patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Journal of Infection 91(2), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40532856.
      5. Cho SY, Wurster S, Matsuo T, Jiang Y, Tarrand J, Kontoyiannis DP. What Is the Prognostic Significance of Culture-Documented Breakthrough Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Patients with Hematological Malignancies? A Propensity Score-Adjusted Analysis. J Fungi (Basel) 11(9), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 41003169.
      6. Williams SL, Salah Z, Jackson BR, Wurster S, Serpa JA, Grimes CZ, Atmar RL, Chiller TM, Kontoyiannis DP, Ostrosky-Zeichner L, Toda M. Using Machine Learning Algorithms to Identify Key Predictors of Invasive Mold Infection Surveillance. J Infect Dis 232(6):e1033-e1042, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40458914.
      7. García, JP, Wurster, ST, Albert, ND, Bharadwaj, U, Bhoda, K, Kulkarni, VK, Ntita, M, Carstens, PR, Burch-Eapen, M, López, DC, Lizaola, JF, Larsen, KE, Matula, LM, Moghaddam, SM, Wang, Y, Kontoyiannis, DP, Evans, S. Immunotherapy with nebulized pattern recognition receptor agonists restores severe immune paralysis and improves outcomes in mice with influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis. mBio 16(5), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40197039.
      8. Matsuo, T, Wurster, ST, Ivan, D, Hicklen, RS, Mcconn, KK, Bagwell, KA, Khawaja, F, Chemaly, RF, Kontoyiannis, DP. Lethal Disseminated Mucorales Infection With Positive Blood Cultures With Purpura Fulminans Complicating Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis After Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy. Open Forum Infectious Diseases 11(11), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39507882.
      9. Wurster S, Cho SY, Allos H, Franklin A, Axell-House DB, Jiang Y, Kontoyiannis DP. Concordance of Chest Radiography and Chest Computed Tomography Findings in Patients with Hematologic Malignancy and Invasive Mucormycosis: What Are the Prognostic Implications?. J Fungi (Basel) 10(10), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39452655.
      10. Page L, Lauruschkat CD, Dennehy K, Loell E, Tappe B, Fuchs A, Wurster S, Hoffmann R. Whole Blood Assay with Dual Co-Stimulation for Antigen-Specific Analysis of Host Immunity to Fungal and Viral Pathogens. J Vis Exp 2024-September(211), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39373475.
      11. Matsuo T, Wurster S, Jiang Y, Tarrand J, Evans SE, Kontoyiannis DP. Determinant of 30-Day Mortality of Pulmonary Legionellosis: Do Coinfections Matter?. Open Forum Infect Dis 11(9):ofae529, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39319087.
      12. Page L, Dennehy K, Mueller K, Girl P, Loell E, Buijze H, Classen JM, Messmann H, Roemmele C, Hoffmann R, Wurster S, Fuchs A. Antigen-specific T helper cells and cytokine profiles predict intensity and longevity of cellular and humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccination. Front Immunol 15:1423766, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39267758.
      13. Matsuo, T, Singh, BS, Wurster, S, Jiang, Y, Bhutani, M, Chatterjee, D, Kontoyiannis, DP. The modern face of esophageal candidiasis in an oncology center. Journal of Infection 89(1), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38735485.
      14. Heilig, L, Natasha, F, Trinks, N, Aimanianda, V, Wong, SW, Fontaine, T, Terpitz, U, Strobel, L, Mauff, FL, Sheppard, DC, Schäuble, S, Kurzai, O, Hünniger, K, Weiss, E, Vargas, M, Howell, PL, Panagiotou, G, Wurster, S, Einsele, H, Loeffler, J. CD56-mediated activation of human natural killer cells is triggered by Aspergillus fumigatus galactosaminogalactan. PLoS pathogens 20(6 June), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38889192.
      15. Lauruschkat, CD, Muchsin, I, Rein, A, Erhard, F, Grathwohl, D, Dölken, L, Köchel, C, Nehmer, A, Falk, CS, Grigoleit, GU, Einsele, H, Wurster, S, Kraus, S. Impaired T-cell and “memory-like” NK-cell reconstitution is linked to late-onset HCMV reactivation after letermovir cessation. Blood Advances 8(11):2967-2979, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38315873.
      16. Kumar, PR, Wurster, S, Bavisi, K, da Silva, TA, Hauser, P, Kinnitt, J, Albert, ND, Bharadwaj, U, Neelapu, SS, Kontoyiannis, DP. A novel lentiviral vector-based approach to generate chimeric antigen receptor T cells targeting Aspergillus fumigatus. mBio 15(4), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38415653.
      17. Matsuo, T, Wurster, S, Jiang, Y, Sasaki, K, Tarrand, JJ, Lewis, RE, Kontoyiannis, DP. Invasive fusariosis in patients with leukaemia in the era of mould-active azoles. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 79(2):297-306, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38073151.
      18. Egge, SL, Wurster, S, Cho, SY, Jiang, Y, Axell-House, DB, Miller, WR, Kontoyiannis, DP. Co-Occurrence of Gram-Negative Rods in Patients with Hematologic Malignancy and Sinopulmonary Mucormycosis. Journal of Fungi 10(1), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38248950.
      19. Lauruschkat CD, Muchsin I, Rein A, Erhard F, Grathwohl D, Dölken L, Köchel C, Falk CS, Einsele H, Wurster S, Grigoleit GU, Kraus S. CD4+ T cells are the major predictor of HCMV control in allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients on letermovir prophylaxis. Front Immunol 14:1148841, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37234158.
      20. Wurster S, Pantaleón García J, Albert ND, Jiang Y, Bhoda K, Kulkarni VV, Wang Y, Walsh TJ, Evans S, Kontoyiannis DP. Development of a Corticosteroid-Immunosuppressed Mouse Model to Study the Pathogenesis and Therapy of Influenza-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis. J Infect Dis 227(7):901-906, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36611269.
      21. Toda M, Williams S, Jackson BR, Wurster S, Serpa JA, Nigo M, Grimes CZ, Atmar RL, Chiller TM, Ostrosky-Zeichner L, Kontoyiannis DP. Invasive Mold Infections Following Hurricane Harvey-Houston, Texas. Open Forum Infect Dis 10(3):ofad093, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36910694.
      22. Franklin A, Wurster S, Axell-House DB, Jiang Y, Kontoyiannis DP. Impact of Hyperglycemia and Diabetes Mellitus on Breakthrough Mucormycosis Outcomes in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies-Complex and Intriguing Associations. J Fungi (Basel) 9(1), 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36675866.
      23. Tappe B, Lauruschkat CD, Strobel L, Pantaleón García J, Kurzai O, Rebhan S, Kraus S, Pfeuffer-Jovic E, Bussemer L, Possler L, Held M, Hünniger K, Kniemeyer O, Schäuble S, Brakhage AA, Panagiotou G, White PL, Einsele H, Löffler J, Wurster S. COVID-19 patients share common, corticosteroid-independent features of impaired host immunity to pathogenic molds. Front Immunol 13:954985, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36052094.
      24. Harish E, Sarkar A, Handelman M, Abo Kandil A, Shadkchan Y, Wurster S, Kontoyiannis DP, Osherov N. Triazole Priming as an Adaptive Response and Gateway to Resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 66(8):e0045822, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35856665.
      25. Wurster S, Paraskevopoulos T, Toda M, Jiang Y, Tarrand JJ, Williams S, Chiller TM, Jackson BR, Kontoyiannis DP. Invasive mould infections in patients from floodwater-damaged areas after hurricane Harvey - a closer look at an immunocompromised cancer patient population. J Infect 84(5):701-709, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35288118.
      26. Wurster S, Albert ND, Kontoyiannis DP. Candida auris Bloodstream Infection Induces Upregulation of the PD-1/PD-L1 Immune Checkpoint Pathway in an Immunocompetent Mouse Model. mSphere 7(2):e0081721, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35224979.
      27. Spallone A, Moran CA, Wurster S, Axell-House DB, Kontoyiannis DP. Taking a Closer Look: Clinical and Histopathological Characteristics of Culture-Positive versus Culture-Negative Pulmonary Mucormycosis. J Fungi (Basel) 8(4), 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35448611.
      28. Hu C, Fong G, Wurster S, Kontoyiannis DP, Beyda ND. Clumping Morphology Influences Virulence Uncoupled from Echinocandin Resistance in Candida glabrata. Microbiol Spectr 10(1):e0183721, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35107318.
      29. Wurster S, Albert ND, Bharadwaj U, Kasembeli MM, Tarrand JJ, Daver N, Kontoyiannis DP. Blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 Immune Checkpoint Pathway Improves Infection Outcomes and Enhances Fungicidal Host Defense in a Murine Model of Invasive Pulmonary Mucormycosis. Front Immunol 13:838344, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35251033.
      30. Wurster S, Ruiz OE, Tatara AM, Kontoyiannis DP, Eisenhoffer GT. Protocol for fungal infection following the induction of epithelial cell loss in larval zebrafish. STAR Protoc 2(4):100963, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34849488.
      31. Lauruschkat CD, Etter S, Schnack E, Ebel F, Schäuble S, Page L, Rümens D, Dragan M, Schlegel N, Panagiotou G, Kniemeyer O, Brakhage AA, Einsele H, Wurster S, Loeffler J. Chronic Occupational Mold Exposure Drives Expansion of Aspergillus-Reactive Type 1 and Type 2 T-Helper Cell Responses. J Fungi (Basel) 7(9), 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34575736.
      32. Lauruschkat CD, Page L, White PL, Etter S, Davies HE, Duckers J, Ebel F, Schnack E, Backx M, Dragan M, Schlegel N, Kniemeyer O, Brakhage AA, Einsele H, Loeffler J, Wurster S. Development of a Simple and Robust Whole Blood Assay with Dual Co-Stimulation to Quantify the Release of T-Cellular Signature Cytokines in Response to Aspergillus fumigatus Antigens. J Fungi (Basel) 7(6), 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34201183.
      33. Bose P, McCue D, Wurster S, Wiederhold NP, Konopleva M, Kadia TM, Borthakur G, Ravandi F, Masarova L, Takahashi K, Estrov Z, Yilmaz M, Daver N, Pemmaraju N, Naqvi K, Rausch CR, Marx KR, Qiao W, Huang X, Bivins CA, Pierce SA, Kantarjian HM, Kontoyiannis DP. Isavuconazole as Primary Anti-Fungal Prophylaxis in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia or Myelodysplastic Syndrome: An Open-Label, Prospective, Phase II Study. Clin Infect Dis 72(10):1755-1763, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 32236406.
      34. Page L, Wallstabe J, Lother J, Bauser M, Kniemeyer O, Strobel L, Voltersen V, Teutschbein J, Hortschansky P, Morton CO, Brakhage AA, Topp M, Einsele H, Wurster S, Loeffler J. CcpA- and Shm2-Pulsed Myeloid Dendritic Cells Induce T-Cell Activation and Enhance the Neutrophilic Oxidative Burst Response to Aspergillus fumigatus. Front Immunol 12:659752, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34122417.
      35. Axell-House DB, Wurster S, Jiang Y, Kyvernitakis A, Lewis RE, Tarrand JJ, Raad II, Kontoyiannis DP. Breakthrough Mucormycosis Developing on Mucorales-Active Antifungals Portrays a Poor Prognosis in Patients with Hematologic Cancer. J Fungi (Basel) 7(3), 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33802827.
      36. Wurster S, Ruiz OE, Samms KM, Tatara AM, Albert ND, Kahan PH, Nguyen AT, Mikos AG, Kontoyiannis DP, Eisenhoffer GT. EGF-mediated suppression of cell extrusion during mucosal damage attenuates opportunistic fungal invasion. Cell Rep 34(12):108896, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33761358.
      37. Lauruschkat CD, Page L, Etter S, Weis P, Gamon F, Kraus S, Einsele H, Wurster S, Loeffler J. T-cell immune surveillance in allogenic stem cell transplant recipients: Are whole blood-based assays ready to challenge ELISPOT?. Open Forum Infect Dis 8(1):ofaa547, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33447629.
      38. Wurster S, Lyos S, Albert ND, Kontoyiannis DP. Pharmacological serum concentrations of epinephrine and norepinephrine do not affect growth rate, morphogenesis, stress tolerance, and virulence of Candida albicans. Med Mycol 59(1):102-105, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 32678869.
      39. Wurster S, Sass G, Albert ND, Nazik H, Déziel E, Stevens DA, Kontoyiannis DP. Live imaging and quantitative analysis of Aspergillus fumigatus growth and morphology during inter-microbial interaction with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Virulence 11(1):1329-1336, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33017225.
      40. Seelbinder B, Wallstabe J, Marischen L, Weiss E, Wurster S, Page L, Löffler C, Bussemer L, Schmitt AL, Wolf T, Linde J, Cicin-Sain L, Becker J, Kalinke U, Vogel J, Panagiotou G, Einsele H, Westermann AJ, Schäuble S, Loeffler J. Triple RNA-seq reveals synergy in a human virus-fungus co-infection model. Cell Rep 33(7):108389, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33207195.
      41. Page L, Lauruschkat CD, Helm J, Weis P, Lazariotou M, Einsele H, Ullmann AJ, Loeffler J, Wurster S. Impact of immunosuppressive and antifungal drugs on PBMC- and whole blood-based flow cytometric CD154+Aspergillus fumigatus specific T-cell quantification. Med Microbiol Immunol 209(5):579-592, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32236695.
      42. Szvalb AD, Malek AE, Jiang Y, Bhatti MM, Wurster S, Kontoyiannis DP. Serum (1,3)-Beta-d-Glucan has suboptimal performance for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in cancer patients and correlates poorly with respiratory burden as measured by quantitative PCR. J Infect 81(3):443-451, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32650108.
      43. Wurster S, Robinson P, Albert ND, Tarrand JJ, Goff M, Swamydas M, Lim JK, Lionakis MS, Kontoyiannis DP. Protective Activity of Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 Blockade and Synergy With Caspofungin in a Murine Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis Model. J Infect Dis 222(6):989-994, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32432714.
      44. Page L, Ullmann AJ, Schadt F, Wurster S, Samnick S. In Vitro Evaluation of Radiolabeled Amphotericin B for Molecular Imaging of Mold Infections. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 64(7), 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32393491.
      45. Wurster S, Tatara AM, Albert ND, Ibrahim AS, Heitman J, Lee SC, Shetty AC, McCracken C, Graf KT, Mikos AG, Bruno VM, Kontoyiannis DP. Tornadic Shear Stress Induces a Transient, Calcineurin-Dependent Hypervirulent Phenotype in Mucorales Molds. mBio 11(3), 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32605990.
      46. Weis P, Helm J, Page L, Lauruschkat CD, Lazariotou M, Einsele H, Loeffler J, Ullmann AJ, Wurster S. Development and evaluation of a whole blood-based approach for flow cytometric quantification of CD154+ mould-reactive T cells. Med Mycol 58(2):187-196, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 31095327.
      47. Lewis RE, Wurster S, Beyda ND, Albert ND, Kontoyiannis DP. Comparative in vitro pharmacodynamic analysis of isavuconazole, voriconazole, and posaconazole against clinical isolates of aspergillosis, mucormycosis, fusariosis, and phaeohyphomycosis. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 95(3):114861, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31427139.
      48. Wurster S, Bandi A, Beyda ND, Albert ND, Raman NM, Raad II, Kontoyiannis DP. Drosophila melanogaster as a model to study virulence and azole treatment of the emerging pathogen Candida auris. J Antimicrob Chemother 74(7):1904-1910, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31225606.
      49. Wurster S, Kumaresan PR, Albert ND, Hauser PJ, Lewis RE, Kontoyiannis DP. Live Monitoring and Analysis of Fungal Growth, Viability, and Mycelial Morphology Using the IncuCyte NeuroTrack Processing Module. mBio 10(3), 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31138745.
      50. Kontoyiannis DP, Shah EC, Wurster S, Aitken SL, Graviss L, Raad II, Chemaly RF. Culture-Documented Invasive Mold Infections at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, Pre- and Post-Hurricane Harvey. Open Forum Infect Dis 6(4):ofz138, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31024975.
      51. Wurster S, Lewis RE, Albert ND, Kontoyiannis DP. Preexposure to Isavuconazole Increases the Virulence of Mucorales but Not Aspergillus fumigatus in a Drosophila melanogaster Infection Model. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 63(2), 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30455245.
      52. Belic S, Page L, Lazariotou M, Waaga-Gasser AM, Dragan M, Springer J, Loeffler J, Morton CO, Einsele H, Ullmann AJ, Wurster S. Comparative Analysis of Inflammatory Cytokine Release and Alveolar Epithelial Barrier Invasion in a Transwell® Bilayer Model of Mucormycosis. Front Microbiol 9:3204, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30671036.
      53. Page L, Weis P, Müller T, Dittrich M, Lazariotou M, Dragan M, Waaga-Gasser AM, Helm J, Dandekar T, Einsele H, Löffler J, Ullmann AJ, Wurster S. Evaluation of Aspergillus and Mucorales specific T-cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cell cytokine signatures as biomarkers of environmental mold exposure. Int J Med Microbiol 308(8):1018-1026, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30201279.
      54. Morton CO, Wurster S, Fliesser M, Ebel F, Page L, Hünniger K, Kurzai O, Schmitt AL, Michel D, Springer J, Einsele H, Loeffler J. Validation of a simplified in vitro Transwell® model of the alveolar surface to assess host immunity induced by different morphotypes of Aspergillus fumigatus. Int J Med Microbiol 308(8):1009-1017, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30197238.
      55. Tatara AM, Wurster S, Lockworth CR, Albert ND, Walsh TJ, Mikos AG, Eisenhoffer GT, Kontoyiannis DP. Immunosuppressed Adult Zebrafish Model of Mucormycosis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 62(11), 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30150461.
      56. Lauruschkat CD, Wurster S, Page L, Lazariotou M, Dragan M, Weis P, Ullmann AJ, Einsele H, Löffler J. Susceptibility of A. fumigatus-specific T-cell assays to pre-analytic blood storage and PBMC cryopreservation greatly depends on readout platform and analytes. Mycoses 61(8):549-560, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29611226.
      57. Decker C, Wurster S, Lazariotou M, Hellmann AM, Einsele H, Ullmann AJ, Löffler J. Analysis of the in vitro activity of human neutrophils against Aspergillus fumigatus in presence of antifungal and immunosuppressive agents. Med Mycol 56(4):514-519, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29420763.
      58. Hellmann AM, Lother J, Wurster S, Lutz MB, Schmitt AL, Morton CO, Eyrich M, Czakai K, Einsele H, Loeffler J. Human and Murine Innate Immune Cell Populations Display Common and Distinct Response Patterns during Their In Vitro Interaction with the Pathogenic Mold Aspergillus fumigatus. Front Immunol 8:1716, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29270175.
      59. Wurster S, Thielen V, Weis P, Walther P, Elias J, Waaga-Gasser AM, Dragan M, Dandekar T, Einsele H, Löffler J, Ullmann AJ. Mucorales spores induce a proinflammatory cytokine response in human mononuclear phagocytes and harbor no rodlet hydrophobins. Virulence 8(8):1708-1718, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28783439.
      60. Wurster S, Weis P, Page L, Helm J, Lazariotou M, Einsele H, Ullmann AJ. Intra- and inter-individual variability of Aspergillus fumigatus reactive T-cell frequencies in healthy volunteers in dependency of mould exposure in residential and working environment. Mycoses 60(10):668-675, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28786508.
      61. Wurster S, Weis P, Page L, Lazariotou M, Einsele H, Ullmann AJ. Quantification of A. fumigatus-specific CD154+ T-cells - preanalytic considerations. Med Mycol 55(2):223-227, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 27486216.
      62. Blankenburg R, Hackert K, Wurster S, Deenen R, Seidman JG, Seidman CE, Lohse MJ, Schmitt JP. β-Myosin heavy chain variant Val606Met causes very mild hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in mice, but exacerbates HCM phenotypes in mice carrying other HCM mutations. Circ Res 115(2):227-37, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24829265.
      63. Hauser S, Ulrich T, Wurster S, Schmitt K, Reichert N, Gaubatz S. Loss of LIN9, a member of the DREAM complex, cooperates with SV40 large T antigen to induce genomic instability and anchorage-independent growth. Oncogene 31(14):1859-68, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 21860417.
      64. Reichert N, Wurster S, Ulrich T, Schmitt K, Hauser S, Probst L, Götz R, Ceteci F, Moll R, Rapp U, Gaubatz S. Lin9, a subunit of the mammalian DREAM complex, is essential for embryonic development, for survival of adult mice, and for tumor suppression. Mol Cell Biol 30(12):2896-908, 2010. e-Pub 2010. PMID: 20404087.

      Review Articles

      1. Leon, A, Hicklen, RS, Jiang, Y, Stewart, AG, Wurster, ST, Kontoyiannis, DP. Can Patients with Hematologic Disease and Prior Mucormycosis Undergo Stem Cell Transplantation?. Journal of Fungi 12(6), 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 42346553.
      2. Allos, H, Hicklen, RS, Matsuo, T, Adachi, JA, Wurster, S, Kontoyiannis, DP. The Heterogenous Presentation of Hepatic Mucormycosis in Adults. Journal of Fungi 11(6), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40558921.
      3. Matsuo T, Wurster S, Hoenigl M, Kontoyiannis DP. Current and emerging technologies to develop Point-of-Care Diagnostics in medical mycology. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 24(9):841-858, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39294931.
      4. Seidel D, Wurster S, Jenks JD, Sati H, Gangneux JP, Egger M, Alastruey-Izquierdo A, Ford NP, Chowdhary A, Sprute R, Cornely O, Thompson GR 3rd, Hoenigl M, Kontoyiannis DP. Impact of climate change and natural disasters on fungal infections. Lancet Microbe 5(6):e594-e605, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38518791.
      5. Chiu, CY, John, TM, Matsuo, T, Wurster, S, Hicklen, RS, Khattak, RR, Ariza Heredia, E, Bose, P, Kontoyiannis, DP. Disseminated Histoplasmosis in a Patient with Myelofibrosis on Ruxolitinib. Journal of Fungi 10(4), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38667935.
      6. Chiu CY, Matsuo T, Wurster S, Gerstein Y, Hammond DE, Chien KS, DiNardo C, Kontoyiannis DP. Invasive mucorales sinusitis in a young patient with Emberger syndrome and newly diagnosed AML: A case report and literature review of invasive fungal infections in GATA2 deficiency. Mycoses 66(12):1029-1034, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37550272.
      7. Jenks, JD, Prattes, J, Wurster, S, Sprute, R, Seidel, D, Oliverio, M, Egger, M, Del Rio, C, Sati, H, Cornely, OA, Thompson, GR, Kontoyiannis, DP, Hoenigl, M. Social determinants of health as drivers of fungal disease. EClinicalMedicine 66, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 38053535.
      8. Chowdhary A, Gupta N, Wurster S, Kumar R, Mohabir JT, Tatavarthy S, Mittal V, Rani P, Barman P, Sachdeva N, Singh A, Sharma B, Jiang Y, Cuomo CA, Kontoyiannis DP. Multimodal analysis of the COVID-19-associated mucormycosis outbreak in Delhi, India indicates the convergence of clinical and environmental risk factors. Mycoses 66(6):515-526, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36790120.
      9. Wurster S, Watowich SS, Kontoyiannis DP. Checkpoint inhibitors as immunotherapy for fungal infections: Promises, challenges, and unanswered questions. Front Immunol 13:1018202, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36389687.

      Book Chapters

      1. Wurster S, Albert ND, Kontoyiannis DP. Drosophila melanogaster as a Rapid and Reliable In Vivo Infection Model to Study the Emerging Yeast Pathogen Candida auris. In: Methods Mol Biol, 299-316, 2022.
      2. Mellinghoff S, Sprute R, von Bergwelt-Baildon M, Cornely OA, Wurster S. Immune checkpoint inhibitors – a novel paradigm to enhance antifungal host defense. In: Immunological insights and emerging therapeutics in medical mycology.

      Letters to the Editor

      1. Matsuo T, Wurster S, Kontoyiannis DP. Good Outcomes in Salvage Therapy of Fusariosis in Patients With Leukemia: Is It the Host or the Drug?. Clin Infect Dis 79: 571-572, 2024.
      2. Matsuo, T, Wurster, S, Jiang, Y, Tarrand, JJ, Kontoyiannis, DP. Adjunct Terbinafine in Patients With Leukemia and Invasive Fusariosis With Skin Lesions. Open Forum Infectious Diseases 11, 2024.
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      CV information above last modified August 04, 2026

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