Sebastian Wurster, MD, MSc
Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control, and Employee Health, Division of Internal Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2015 | Julius-Maximilians University, Wuerzburg, DE, MD |
| 2014 | Julius-Maximilians University, Wuerzburg, DE, M.S. in Experimental Medicine |
Postgraduate Training
| 2018-2019 | Research Fellowship, Experimental and translational mycology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2014-2018 | Research Fellowship, Clinical research (prophylaxis and treatment of opportunistic infections) and laboratory research in experimental mycology, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Instructor, Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health - Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2020 - 2021
Institutional Committee Activities
Co-Chair, Research Faculty Task Force of the Faculty Senate, 2024 - Present
Member, Junior Faculty Committee, 2024 - Present
Member, Faculty Senate, 2022 - Present
Member, Academic Review Committee, 2022 - Present
Deputy Chair (1/21-8/23), Chair (9/23-8/24), Past Chair (since 9/24), Division of Internal Medicine Grand Rounds Subcommittee, 2021 - Present
Member, Division of Internal Medicine Research Committee, 2020 - Present
Member, IOTOX Retreat Subcommittee, 2020 - Present
Honors & Awards
| Medical doctoral stipend, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Transregio 17, Ras-dependent Pathways in Human Cancer | |
| Poster Award, Paul-Ehrlich Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy | |
| Seal of Excellence, European Commission Horizon 2020 MSCA-GF | |
| Bristol-Myers-Squibb Award in Translational Science, MD Anderson Cancer Center | |
| Cyrus Scholar Award for Outstanding Basic/Translational Research in Internal Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Division of Internal Medicine | |
| Poster Award, Advances Against Aspergillosis & Mucormycosis | |
| Young Investigator Award, Journal of Fungi | |
| Top-rated abstract award, European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases | |
| Peter G. Pappas 1st Place Poster Award, Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium | |
| Best Abstract Award, Immunocompromised Host Society |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- 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):None, 2024. PMID: 39452655.
- Pantaleón García J, Wurster S, Albert ND, Bharadwaj U, Bhoda K, Kulkarni VK, Ntita M, Carstens PR, Burch-Eapen M, Covarrubias López D, Wang Y, Kontoyiannis DP, Evans SE. Immunotherapy with nebulized pattern recognition receptor agonists restores severe immune paralysis and improves outcomes in mice with influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis. bioRxiv None(None):None, 2024. PMID: None.
- 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 None(211):None, 2024. PMID: 39373475.
- 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. PMID: 39319087.
- 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(None):1423766, 2024. PMID: 39267758.
- 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. PMID: 38735485.
- 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. PMID: 38889192.
- 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. PMID: 38315873.
- 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. PMID: 38415653.
- 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. PMID: 38073151.
- 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. PMID: 38248950.
- 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.
- 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. PMID: 36611269.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 2020. PMID: 32236406.
- 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.
- 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. PMID: 33761358.
- 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 2020. PMID: 32678869.
- 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 2020. PMID: 33447629.
- 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.
- 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. PMID: 33207195.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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):None, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32393491.
- 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):None, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32605990.
- 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. PMID: 31095327.
- 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.
- 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. PMID: 31225606.
- 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):None, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31138745.
- 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.
- 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):None, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30455245.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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(None):3204, 2018. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30671036.
- 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):None, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30150461.
- 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.
- 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. PMID: 29420763.
- 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(None):1716, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29270175.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 2016. PMID: 27486216.
- 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.
- 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 2011. PMID: 21860417.
- 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.
Other Articles
- 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. PMID: 39294931.
- 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. PMID: 38518791.
- 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. PMID: 38667935.
- 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. PMID: 38053535.
- 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. PMID: 37550272.
- 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. PMID: 36790120.
- Wurster S, Watowich SS, Kontoyiannis DP Checkpoint inhibitors as immunotherapy for fungal infections: Promises, challenges, and unanswered questions. Front Immunol 13:1018202, 2022. PMID: 36389687.
Book Chapters
- 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.
Letters to the Editor
- 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.
- 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.
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2022. Checkpoint inhibitors as an immunotherapy for mold pneumonia and fungal sepsis – growing promise and unanswered questions. Invited. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2019. Alveolar in vitro models of invasive mold infections. Invited. Houston, Texas, US.
Regional Presentations
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 2022. Establishment of a post-influenza aspergillosis model in corticosteroid-immunosuppressed mice. Poster. Advances against Aspergillosis & Mucormycosis 2022. Virtual, US.
- 2021. Blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint pathway in murine mucormycosis. Poster. IDWeek 2021. Virtual, US.
- 2021. Establishment of a post-influenza aspergillosis model in corticosteroid-immunosuppressed mice. Conference. IDWeek 2021. Virtual, US.
- 2021. Immune checkpoint blockade confers protective. Invited. MSGERC Virtual Symposium. Virtual, US.
- 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.
- 2019. Shear Forces Induce a Transient, Calcineurin-Dependent Hyper-Virulent Phenotype in Mucorales via Soluble Factors. Poster. IDWeek 2019. Washington, DC, US.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
International Presentations
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 2023. Medical Mycology Excellence Center (MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA). Invited. Trends in Medical Mycology 2023. Athens, GR.
- 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.
- 2023. Pathogenesis of invasive fungal infections after viral pneumonia and novel avenues of immunotherapies to treat post-viral mycoses. Visiting. Wurzburg, DE.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 2021. Checkpoint inhibitors as an immunotherapy for mold pneumonia and fungal sepsis – growing promise and unanswered questions. Visiting. Wurzburg, DE.
- 2021. Research in the US as postdoc or junior faculty - insights from a European MD. Invited. Ankara, TR.
- 2019. Mini-host models of invasive mycoses – recent advances. Visiting. German Research Foundation TR124, Invasive Mycoses in Hematological Malignancies 2019. Wurzburg, DE.
- 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.
- 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.
- 2016. Update on the immunopathology of invasive mycoses. Invited. Paul-Ehrlich Society (PEG), Annual Conference 2016, Section: Antifungal Chemotherapy. Bonn, DE.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 2023. Checkpoint inhibitors as an immunotherapy for invasive fungal infections – How can we close the evidence-to-practice gap?. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors as an Immunotherapy for Opportunistic Fungal Infections – Ready for Prime Time?. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors as an Immunotherapy for Opportunistic Fungal Infections – Ready for Prime Time?. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2021. Mini-host models for studying opportunistic mycoses: from flies to fish. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2019. Establishment of a novel high-throughput fungal infection model in zebrafish larvae by controlled ablation of epithelial cells. Houston, Texas, US.
Grant & Contract Support
| 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 |
| Title: | Defining the isavuconazole dose escalation ceiling against Mucorales |
| Funding Source: | Astellas Pharma |
| Role: | Co-PI |
| Title: | Understanding the mechanisms and clinical implications of triazole priming in Aspergillus fumigatus |
| Funding Source: | Binational Science Foundation (US/Israel) |
| Role: | Investigator |
| 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 |
| Title: | Deciphering Immunopathogenesis of MUCORmycosis to ADVANCE Risk stratificationStratification, Diagnosis and Management of the Disease (MUCOR-ADVANCE) |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NIAID |
| Role: | Co-I |
| Title: | Sargramostim as an innovative immunotherapy for opportunistic lung infections in mice with acute myeloid leukemia |
| Funding Source: | Partner Therapeutics |
| Role: | PI |
| Title: | Impact of fosmanogepix on the innate immune response to clinically important mold pathogens |
| Funding Source: | Basilea |
| Role: | Co-PI |
| Title: | Exploring the synergy of isavuconazole and immunomodulators in a neutropenic mouse model of mucormycosis |
| Funding Source: | Astellas Pharma |
| Role: | Co-PI |
| 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 |
| Title: | Post influenza aspergillosis and the effect of a liposomal amphotericin B and oseltamivir in a corticosteroid-immunosuppressed murine model of influenza |
| Funding Source: | Gilead |
| Role: | Co-PI |
| Title: | Checkpoint inhibitor therapy to harness host immunity against emerging mold pathogens |
| Funding Source: | MD Anderson Cancer Center, Division of Internal Medicine |
| Role: | PI |
| Title: | Invasive Mold Infections at MD Anderson pre and post hurricane Harvey |
| Funding Source: | Centers for Disease Control (CDC) |
| Role: | Investigator |
| Title: | Redirected T Cell Therapy to Cure Invasive Fungal Infections |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NIAID |
| Role: | Key |
| Title: | Study of the checkpoint inhibitors with or without antifungals on the natural history of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NIAID |
| Role: | Key |
| Title: | Host-pathogen interaction in mucormycosis |
| Funding Source: | Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZFK) Wuerzburg |
| Role: | PI |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified December 12, 2024