Date: 26 November 2013
Copyright: n/a
Notes:
Dr. Balajee is a graduate of the University of Madras (India) and completed her post doctoral training in Dr. Kieren Marr’s laboratory at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, US. Currently she leads the Molecular Epidemiology Unit within the Mycotic Diseases Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Balajee’s dynamic research program is focused on public health mycology that includes studies on the molecular epidemiology of medically important fungi, specifically the genus Aspergillus. Another area of interest is understanding the role of mycotoxins, specifically aflatoxin elaborated by Aspergillus in mediating adverse health effects in humans. Dr. Balajee has published over 25 peer-reviewed articles and several book chapters and is committed to creating a learning environment for budding public health mycologists in her laboratory. Dr. Balajee is the convenor for an international working group on A. terreus to gather and disseminate scientific knowledge in this field and is a member of the working group on species concepts inAspergillus.
Key Contributions to recent literature:
- Balajee SA, Weaver M, Imhof A, Gribskov J, Marr KA. Aspergillus fumigatus variant with decreased susceptibility to multiple antifungals. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2004 Apr;48(4):1197-203.
- Balajee SA, Imhof A, Gribskov JL, Marr KA. Determination of antifungal drug susceptibilities of Aspergillus species by a fluorescence-based microplate assay. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2005 Jan;55(1):102-5.
- Balajee SA, Gribskov JL, Hanley E, Nickle D, Marr KA. Aspergillus lentulus sp. nov., a new sibling species of A. fumigatus.Eukaryot Cell. 2005 Mar; 4(3):625-32.
- Bok JW, Chung D, Balajee SA, Marr KA, Andes D, Nielsen KF, Frisvad JC, Kirby KA, Keller NP. GliZ, a transcriptional regulator of gliotoxin biosynthesis, contributes to Aspergillus fumigatusvirulence. Infect Immun. 2006 Dec; 74(12):6761-8.
- Balajee SA, Nickle D, Varga J, Marr KA. Molecular studies reveal frequent misidentification of Aspergillus fumigatus by morphotyping. 2006 Oct; 5(10):1705-12.Eukaryot Cell.
- Balajee SA, Lindsley MD, Iqbal N, Ito J, Pappas PG, Brandt ME. A non-sporulating clinical isolate identified as Petromyces alliaceus (anamorph Aspergillus alliaceus) by morphological and sequence based methods. J Clin Microbiol. 2007 Aug; 45(8):2701-3.
- Balajee SA, Tay ST, A Lasker B, Hurst SF, Rooney AP.Characterization of a novel gene for strain typing reveals substructuring of Aspergillus fumigatus across North America.Eukaryot Cell. 2007 Aug; 6 (8):1392-9.
- Balajee SA, L Sigler and ME Brandt. DNA and the classical way: identification of medically important molds in the 21st century.Med Mycol 2007; 45: 1-16
- Balajee SA, SS Magill, ME Brandt. The role of molecular methods in the identification of fungal infections. Curr Fung Infect Reports 2007; 1: in press.
- Kano R, K Itamoto, M Okuda, H Inokuma, A Hasegawa, SA Balajee. Isolation of Aspergillus udagawae from a fatal case of feline orbital aspergillosis. Mycoses 2008 (in press).
- Balajee S.A, J. Houbraken, P.E. Verweij, S-B. Hong, T. Yaghuchi, J. Varga and R.A. Samson2. Aspergillus species identification in the clinical setting. Studies in Mycology. 59: 39–46. 2007.
- Balajee SA, de Valk HA, Lasker BA, Meis JF, Klaassen CH. J Microbiol Methods. 2008 Feb 23. Epub. Utility of a microsatellite assay for identifying clonally related outbreak isolates ofAspergillus fumigatus.
Arun Balajee Ph.D.
Chief, Molecular Epidemiology Unit,
Mycotic Diseases Branch,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mail stop – G 11 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA – 30333
Email fir3@cdc.gov
Phone – 404 639 3337
Fax – 404 639 3546
Images library
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PtDS2 –Repeated chest infections arrested by itraconazole therapy in ABPA and bronchiectasis
DS2 developed asthma age 24 and now aged 62. From about age 30 she started getting repeated chest infections and a few years later ABPA and bronchiectasis was diagnosed. Infections continued requiring multiple courses of antibiotics annually. At one point DS2 developed a pneumothorax, possibly because of excess coughing. She has chronic rhinitis and mannose binding lectin deficiency. In May 2011, she started itraconazole therapy, and has needed no antibiotic courses for her chest since. Her rhinitis with sinusitis occasionally bothers her. She is delighted to have gone 18 months with no chest infections.
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Aspergillus hyphae (arrow) in the lumen without invasion of the necrotic bronchial wall (*) (Nicod 2001).
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fibrinonecrotic material (arrow) from the airway shown in A, with subocclusion of the bronchial lumen (*)
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Fibrinous or pseudomembranous bronchitis (arrow) with subocclusion of the airways (* indicates subocclusion of the airways by pseudomembranes)
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Bronchoscopic biopsy demonstrated septate hyphae with branching at 45o (methenamine silver stain ×400).
