| FEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY |
Past chief Editors
Dr. Alex van Belkum (2003-2007)
Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
Erasmus MC
University Medical Center Rotterdam
Dr Molewaterplein 40
3015 GD Rotterdam
The Netherlands
a.vanbelkum@erasmusmc.nl
Summary of research over the past five years
Alex van Belkum has been involved in a variety of diagnostic, epidemiological and fundamental research project in the field of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. He has been responsible for the development, evaluation and clinical application of molecular techniques in infectious disease diagnostics. In addition, molecular identification tools suited for the molecular tracing of infectious bacteria and their epidemics have been developed and applied. Major fundamental research projects concern investigations into (1) determinants, risks and dynamics of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage, (2) the role of bacterial genetic polymorphism in the development of neurologic complications after Campylobacter jejuni infection and (3) molecular and biological studies on Madurella mycetomatis infections in tropical endemic regions.
AWARDS
1999 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Young investigator Award for Research in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
2003 Astra Zeneca Award in Infectious Disease Research
KEY REFERENCES
Bogaert Debbie, Belkum Alex van, Sluijter Marcel, Luijendijk Ad, Groot Ronald de, Rumke Hans, Verbrugh Henri, Hermans Peter (2004) "Colonisation by Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus in healthy children”. Lancet 363, 1871-1872. (IF 23.8).
Wertheim Heiman, Vos Margreet, Ott Alewijn, Belkum Alex van, Voss Andreas, Kluytmans Jan, Keulen Peter van, Vandenbroucke-Grauls Christina, Meester Marlene, Verbrugh Henri (2004) "Risk and outcome of nosocomial Stapohylococcus aureus bacteremia in nasal carriers versus non-carriers". Lancet 364, 703-705. (IF 23.8).
Ahmed Abdalla, Leeuwen Willem van, Fahal Ahmed, Sande Wendy van de, Verbrugh Henri, Belkum Alex van (2004) "Mycetoma caused by Madurella mycetomatis: a neglected infectious burden. Lancet Infectious Diseases" 4, 566-574. (IF 10.0).
Godschalk Peggy, Heikema Astrid, Gilbert Michel, Komagamine Tomoko, Ang Wim, Glerum Jobine, Brochu Denis, Li Jiangjun, Yuki Nobuhiro, Jacobs Bart, Belkum Alex van, Endtz Hubert (2004) "The crucial role of Campylobacter jejuni genes in anti-ganglioside antibody induction in Guillain-Barre Syndrome". Journal of Clinical Investigation 114, 1659-1665. (15.1).
Melles Damian, Gorkink Raymond, Boelens Helene, Snijders Susan, Peeters Justine, Moorhouse Michael, Spek Peter van der, Leeuwen Willem van, Simons Guus, Verbrugh Henri, Belkum Alex van (2004) "Natural population dynamics and expansion of pathogenic clones of Staphylococcus aureus". Journal of Clinical Investigation 114, 1732-1740. (15.1).
Houliston Scott, Endtz Hubert, Yuki Nobuhiro, Li Jianjun, Jarrell Harold, Koga Michiaki, Belkum Alex van, Karwaski Marie-France, Wakarchuk Warren, Gilbert Michel (2006) "Identification of a sialate O-acetyltransferase from Campylobacter jejuni: demonstration of direct transfer to the C-9 position of terminal alpha-2,8-linked sialic acid". Journal of Biological Chemistry 281, 11480-11486. (IF 5.8).
Sande Wendy van de, Janse Dirk Jan, Hira Vishal, Goedhart Heidy, Zee Ruurd van der, Ahmed Abdalla, Ott A, Verbrugh H, Belkum Alex van (2006) "Translationally controlled tumor protein from Madurella mycetomatis, a marker for tumorous mycetoma progression". Journal of Immunology 177, 1997-2005. (IF 6.4).
CHAPTERS IN BOOKS
Belkum Alex van and Alphen Loek van (2002) "Diagnosing Haemophilus influenzae". In "Methods in Molecular Medicine". Eds. Herbert, Hood and Moxon. The Humana Press Inc, New Jersey, pp. 71-92.
Belkum Alex van (2002) "Molecular tools for epidemiological investigations into Legionella pneumophila infections". In: Legionella: Proceedings of the Fifth International Meeting on Legionellosis. Eds. Marre, Kwaik, Bartlett, Cianciotto, Fields, Frosch, Hacker and Lück, American Society for Microbiology, pp. 227-236.
Belkum Alex van (2003) "Molecular epidemiology of pathogenic fungi involved in outbreaks". In: The Mycota, A Comprehensive Treatise on Human Fungal Pathogens. Eds. J. Domer and G. Kobayashi, pp. 3-24.
Hermans Peter, Bogaert Debby, Sluijter Marcel, Belkum Alex van (2003) "Restriction fragment end labelling analysis: high-resolution genomic typing of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates". In: Experimental Approaches for Assessing Genetic Diversity among Microbial Pathogens. Eds. Van Belkum, Duim and Hays, Ponsen & Looyen BV, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp. 33-46.
Belkum Alex van, Hermans Peter (2003) "BOX PCR fingerprinting for molecular typing of Streptococcus pneumoniae". In "Experimental Approaches for Assessing Genetic Diversity among Microbial Pathogens". Eds. Van Belkum, Duim and Hays, Ponsen & Looyen BV, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp. 47-56.
Belkum Alex van (2004) "Assessing bacterial virulence with the help of genetic typing technology". In: Nascholingscursus Infectieziekten, Boerhave Commissie, Post Academisch Onderwijs in de Geneeskunde, Ed. J.T. van Dissel, pp.232-327.
Belkum Alex van, Niesters Bert (2005) "New Diagnostic modalities in respiratory tract disease" In "The Microbe Host Interface in Respiratory Tract Infections", Eds. Jan Kimpen and Octavio Ramilo, Horizon Bioscience, Norfolk UK, pp. 15-27, ISBN : 0-8493-3646-5.
Belkum Alex van (2006) "Molecular diagnostics and comparative genomics in clinical microbiology" In "Molecular Diagnostics", Eds. Patrinos and Ansorge, Elsevier Inc, pp.281-295.
Belkum Alex van, Verduin Cees (2006) "Moraxella catarrhalis and Kingella kingae".In "Principles and Practice of Clinical Bacteriology", Eds. Gillespie and Hawkey, pp. 191-204.
EDITING OF BOOKS
Belkum Alex van, Duim Birgitta and Hays John (2003) (Eds) "Experimental Approaches for Assessing Genetic Diversity among Microbial Pathogens", Ponsen & Looyen BV, Wageningen, The Netherlands; ISBN 90-9016462-6.
Belkum Alex van (2004) "Moleculaire filatelie in de medische microbiologie". Optima Grafische Communicatie, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, ISBN 90-90176683-7
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| FEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS |
Past chief Editors
Ramón Días Orejas (2005-2009)
Ramón Díaz Orejas, was born in La Robla (León, Spain) in 1944, and is an expert in bacterial plasmid replication and maintenance functions. He obtained his first degree and PhD in Biochemistry from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. For his PhD he worked at the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB) of the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) on the transport and degradation of carbohydrates in Pseudomonas putida under the supervision of Profs. J.L. Cánovas and G. de Torrontegui. He held posdoctoral positions at the University of Leicester, UK (Prof. R.H. Pritchard), University of Odense, Denmark (Prof. K. Nordstrom and S. Molin), and the Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany (Prof. W.L. Staudenbauer) he studied DNA replication and its control in bacteria and plasmids. Main contributions during this period include early isolation and characterization of origins of replication of Escherichia coli, the development of an in vitro replication system for plasmid R1 dependent on protein systhesis, the first report of a functional coupling of the three fundamental reactions of genetic information transfer in a cell free system, and the development of the in vitro system for plasmid RSF1010 that allowed for the first time the biochemical analysis of the broad host range replication character of this plasmid. In 1979 he was appointed staff scientist of the CSIC at the CIB where he is now Profesor de Investigación. Research contributions during this new period include the characterization of protein-DNA complexes involved in the interaction of plasmid initiator proteins with origins of replication using plasmid pPS10 of Pseudomonas and plasmid R1 of Enterobacteria as model systems. Studies with plasmid R1 revealed the involvement of DNA looping induced by the replication protein in the activation of an origin without direct repetitions (iterons). Studies with plasmid pPS10, the origin of which contains interons, contributed i) to understanding at the structural and functional level, the dual character of its initiator protein as activator of DNA replication or as transcriptional repressor of its own gene; ii) to establish the potential of this replication protein to adjust plasmid replication to the replication machinery of different hosts; iii) to establish the existence of a common module for initiator of DNA replication in Gram-negative bacterial plasmids, archaea and eukaryotes. An additional contribution of the group was the identification and characterization of parD/kis-kid, the second toxin-antitoxin system of plasmid R1 and one of the first type II bacterial toxin-antitoxin systems described. Early studies on this system established its activation in response to failures in plasmid replication and its contribution to the recovery of this faulty replication. His actual interest in this system is focused on the combination of structural and functional approaches to study novel aspects of its regulation, mechanism of action, biotechnological applications as well as its relationships with other toxin-antitoxin systems. He has published over 70 primary articles, several of them in collaboration with important national and/or international groups; supervised 13 PhD theses; he is the main responsible or main partner of multiple projects and networks financed by Spanish or European agencies. He was a member of the editorial board of FEMS Microbiology Reviews for five years before being appointed as Chief Editor of this Journal.
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