Julianne Kus
HBSc, MSc, PhD, FCCM
Research synopsis
Research interests:
- Molecular methods for microorganism detection and identification, with a focus on bacteria and fungi
- Application of technology, such as MALDI-ToF Mass Spectrometry to the clinical microbiology lab for microorganism identification and detection of biomarkers associated with antimicrobial resistance, and strain typing
- Study of antifungal drug resistance trends, mechanisms of action and detection methods amongst clinical isolates of yeasts and molds
- Examination of population level trends of invasive fungal infections
- Application of NGS for diagnosis of infectious diseases
Selected publications
First draft genome sequence of Aureimonas altamirensis, isolated from patient blood culture. Eshaghi A, Shahinas D, Patel SN, Kus JV. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2015 Mar;362(6). pii: fnv016. doi: 10.1093/femsle/fnv016. Epub 2015 Feb 24. PMID: 25714548.
Multilocus sequence typing of Mycobacterium xenopi. Alexander DC, Marras TK, Ma JH, Mirza S, Liu D, Kus JV, Soualhine H, Escuyer V, Warshauer D, Brode SK, Farrell DJ, Jamieson FB. J Clin Microbiol. 2014 Nov;52(11):3973-7. doi: 10.1128/JCM.01601-14. Epub 2014 Sep 10. PMID: 25210065.
Nosocomial transmission of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in Toronto, Canada. Lowe CF, Kus JV, Salt N, Callery S, Louie L, Khan MA, Vearncombe M, Simor AE. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2013 Jan;34(1):49-55. doi: 10.1086/668778. Epub 2012 Nov 20. PMID: 23221192.
Identification of a novel adhesin involved in acid-induced adhesion of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7. Chingcuanco F, Yu Y, Kus JV, Que L, Lackraj T, Lévesque CM, Barnett Foster D. Microbiology. 2012 Sep;158(Pt 9):2399-407. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.056374-0. Epub 2012 Jul 5. PMID: 22767547.
Bile salts induce resistance to polymyxin in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7. Kus JV, Gebremedhin A, Dang V, Tran SL, Serbanescu A, Barnett Foster D. J Bacteriol. 2011 Sep;193(17):4509-15. doi: 10.1128/JB.00200-11. Epub 2011 Jul 1. PMID: 21725004.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa D-arabinofuranose biosynthetic pathway and its role in type IV pilus assembly. Harvey H, Kus JV, Tessier L, Kelly J, Burrows LL. J Biol Chem. 2011 Aug 12;286(32):28128-37. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M111.255794. PMID: 21676874.
New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1: local acquisition in Ontario, Canada, and challenges in detection. Kus JV, Tadros M, Simor A, Low DE, McGeer AJ, Willey BM, Larocque C, Pike K, Edwards IA, Dedier H, Melano R, Boyd DA, Mulvey MR, Louie L, Okeahialam C, Bayley M, Whitehead C, Richardson D, Carr L, Jinnah F, Poutanen SM. CMAJ. 2011 Aug 9;183(11):1257-61. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.110477. Epub 2011 May 30. PMID: 21624908.
A novel antimicrobial peptide significantly enhances acid-induced killing of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 and non-O157 serotypes. Lino M, Kus JV, Tran SL, Naqvi Z, Binnington B, Goodman SD, Segall AM, Foster DB. Microbiology. 2011 Jun;157(Pt 6):1768-75. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.047365-0. Epub 2011 Mar 31. PMID: 21454368.