Meet Professor Jan Kluijtmans - Leading Microbiologist
Professor Jan Kluijtmans is the Head of Medical Microbiology at the University Medical Centre Utrecht, the Netherlands.
We caught up with him at the 2024 ESCMID Summer School in Utrecht.
Early Career
Jan Kluijtmans completed his medical training and specialisation in Clinical Microbiology at Erasmus Medical University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
His experience in the microbiology field goes back almost 40 years, and he is considered to be one of the foremost experts on Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
His research primarily focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of healthcare-associated infections in the context of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
With such an expansive career and prolific research output, when asked where his interest in microbiology came from, Professor Kluijtmans says:
"Frankly, it was all very coincidental. I discovered along the way that microbiology is something I liked. I went to medical school to become a general practitioner. In my 4th year, I could choose between a few optionals topics and one of those was 'Legionnaires disease', a disease with an unknown cause. It turned out to be a new bacterium called Legionella. I found it intriguing that you have this unknown cause, and then you identify a new bacteria. But a call from my biology professor was probably decisive. He asked me if I wanted to work in his laboratory as a resident, and I decided to give it a try. And my interest has only increased since then."
In 2014, Prof. Kluijtmans moved to the University Medical Centre Utrecht, where he heads the medical microbiology department and leads several work packages within the Combacte programme.
"My dedication is to use the knowledge of microbiology, combined with epidemiology, to prevent disease. Infectious diseases is the ideal field to put that into practise. It's a dynamic field, and I really like the combination of being active in the hospital, looking at disease patterns and transmission, and optimising prevention."
Within the REVERSE Project
As Principle Investigator of the UMCU-coordinated COMBACTE-NET and COMBACTE-MAGNET programmes, Prof. Kluijtmans is part of an extensive and interconnected clinical network, so it was only natural for the REVERSE project to bring someone with his background and microbiological expertise into the project!
Within the REVERSE Consortium, Professor Kluijtmans co-leads Work Package 2, focussing on microbiology and diagnostic stewardship. This work package utilises a two-pronged approach, with UMCU tackling the point-prevalence surveys and the University of Florence handling the diagnostic stewardship portion of the tasks.
Point-Prevalence Surveys
Prof. Kluijtmans and his team manage the point-prevalence surveys (PPS) on Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (strains of bacteria that are resistant to Carbapenem) for the REVERSE Project.
When asked, Prof. Kluijtmans reports that the PPS are progressing very well and are on schedule - "beyond expectations", he says!
The PPS will give massive insight into the differences between countries - data that Prof. Kluijtmans thinks is very valuable.
The last samples from cohort 4 will be received early December 2024. Once processed, the second prevalence measurement will be complete, and the team will be able to compare PPS1 (baseline) and PPS2 (after one year of infection prevention measures).
ESCMID Global 2024
Interim project results from work package two were presented at this year's ESCMID Global in a poster entitled:
- Prevalence of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii in Four European Countries.
The poster shows the baseline prevalence per country. What was most striking, was how high the numbers were in some countries and how big the differences were between them.
Prof. Kluijtmans sums the poster results up simply:
"Carbapenem resistance in Europe: significant regional disparities."
REVERSE Outcomes
The REVERSE Project will provide insight into the AMR situation in participating high-prevalence countries and illuminate various methods and success rates.
Professor Kluijtmans hopes that the lessons learned in the project will help improve AMR rates and can be translated into other healthcare settings.
Outside the Hospital
With such a busy schedule, we asked Prof. Kluijtmans how he relaxed when not working. A few years ago, he had a tremendous passion for ice skating, but this has diminished over recent years due to the reduction in icy weather. Now, he is much more likely to be found on a bicycle - road cycling, MTB, gravel biking - as long as it has two wheels, Prof. Kluijtman will enjoy it!
Closing Thoughts - Collaboration is Key
"The problem of antimicrobial resistance offers a unique opportunity to really strengthen our collaboration within Europe, which is essential for the future. So, take the chance!"