Bacterial sexually transmitted diseases and spirochetes
Research in clinical bacteriology is research in the interfase between diagnostics and more fundamental research in clinical bacteriology.
Our group is committed to use research as a way for progress in understanding the role of bacteria in infectious diseases, including the role of specific clades or strains having specific virulence factors. Improving diagnostics and continuing evaluation of diagnostic procedures already being used is another aim of our group.
At present, our main focus is on sexually transmitted diseases and spirochetal diseases. For sexually transmitted diseases a close collaboration exist with the department of infectious disease of the Amsterdam Health Service (Prof.Dr.H.J.de Vries, Prof.Dr. M.Schim van der Loeff, Dr. S.M.Bruisten).
For Lyme borreliosis research we collaborate with the Amsterdam Multidisciplinary Lyme Center (Prof.Dr.J.W.Hovius) and for leptospirosis with the National Leptospirosis Reference Laboratory (Dr.M.Goris)
Research team
Dr. Alje van Dam, Associate Professor, specialty Bacteriology
Alje van Dam (1982) studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He has done his Ph.D. research on autoantibiodies at Sanquin (1986-1990) and subsequently specialized in Medical Microbiology at Amsterdam UMC. In 1999 he left to pursue his career at Zaans Medisch Centrium de Heel (-2001), LUMC Leiden (-2008) and OLVG Amsterdam (-2017).
In 2018 he returned to the department of Medical Microbiology and works until today as Clinical Microbiologst. From 2008 onwards up to the present day, he has also been working as a clinical microbiologist in the Public Health Laboratoratory.
Alje van Dam is now also head of the Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology and second in responsibility for the education of Medical Microbiologist at Amsterdam UMC. He has been involved in Lyme disease research from 1990 up to now and his interest in sexually transmitted infections started in 2008 when he joined the Public Health Laboratory.
- Helene Zondag, PhD student, novel developments in syphilis
- Jolinda de Korne, PhD student, typing and resistance development in Neisseria gonorrrhoeae
- Joyce Braam, PhD student, clinical and diagnostic studies on the importance of Mycoplasma genitalium and its antibiotic resistance
- Tessa Doelman, technician, culture of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Treponema pallidum, innovation in leptospirosis diagnostics
- Soemeja Hidad, technician, culture of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from various European countries in order to support vaccine development
Publications
Dr. Alje P. van Dam
Email: a.p.vandam@amsterdamumc.nl