Albert Osterhaus

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Albert Osterhaus, 2016

Albert Osterhaus (born June 2, 1948 in Amsterdam ; actually Albertus Dominicus Marcellinus Erasmus Osterhaus , called: Ab) is a Dutch veterinarian and virologist . From 1993 he was Professor of Virology at the Clinic of the Erasmus University Rotterdam , since 2014 he has been Director of the Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses (RIZ) at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover . He became internationally known for his research work on SARS and the influenza A virus H5N1 , the causative agent of the so-called bird flu H5N1 .

Career

Albert Osterhaus attended the Hogere burgerschool Pius X in Amsterdam from 1961 to 1967 . From 1967 to 1974 he studied veterinary medicine at the University of Utrecht , where he graduated with a doctorate in 1974 in Marian Horzinek's group . In 1978 he acquired another doctorate ( Ph. D. ) in virology - also in Utrecht . Since 1990 he has been Professor of Virology at the University of Utrecht, from 1993 he was also Professor of Virology in Rotterdam and head of the Institute of Virology at Erasmus University. Furthermore, Osterhaus has been Director of the Reference Laboratory for Influenza in the Netherlands since 1993, Director of a center since 1995 which - coordinated by the WHO - researches arboviruses and hemorrhagic fever together with other laboratories , and President of the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza since 2000 . At times, Osterhaus was also head of the immunobiological laboratory at the Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu and, from 1995 to 2000, director of the WHO global reference laboratory for measles . In 2014 he became the founding director of the Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover.

research

Albert Osterhaus is one of the world's most experienced virologists. He first became known outside the Netherlands after he succeeded in 1998 in identifying a new morbillivirus that was responsible for the mass deaths of seals along the North Sea coast. Two years later, an influenza B virus was identified in his laboratory, which had infected seals off the coast of the Netherlands and which until then had been thought to only infect humans.

In 1997, his working group was the first to demonstrate that influenza A / H5N1 can also infect humans. The H5N1 virus had been isolated from the body of a three-year-old boy who died in Hong Kong .

In 2004, his team proved that cats infected with A / H5N1 can transmit the virus to other cats. In an article for the journal Nature in April 2006, Osterhaus added that cats should not be underestimated as possible carriers of A / H5N1 viruses. His research group rated the risk that the H5N1 viruses in cats could develop the ability to effectively spread from mammal to mammal as relatively high; this would increase the risk of a pandemic among humans.

In April 2003, at the height of the SARS epidemic , Osthaus' working group, along with others, demonstrated that the disease is caused by a previously unknown coronavirus , which among others a. found in civets and bats .

Albert Osterhaus is also researching a vaccination against HIV and is co-founder of the biotechnology companies ViroClinics BV and VitoNative BV .

criticism

In 2009, in connection with the so-called swine flu outbreak, allegations were raised against Osterhaus that “it is fueling fear of a pandemic out of economic self-interest in the development of a vaccine”. In September 2009 the Dutch parliament dealt with reports that Osterhaus owns shares in a company that produces vaccines against swine flu. The Dutch Health Council then decided not to give Osterhaus the right to vote as a government advisor for dealing with the H1N1 virus.

Honors

Albert Osterhaus has been the commander of the Order of the Dutch Lions since 2003 . On May 25, 2016, Albert Osterhaus was elected member ( matriculation number 7698 ) of the Leopoldina .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Award for Professor Dr. Albert Osterhaus. On: idw-online.de from November 29, 2016
  2. ^ Society for Virology: Obituary Prof. Dr. Dr. hc mult. Marian Horzinek. ( Memento from June 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) On: gfv.org , dump from November 30, 2016
  3. ↑ Biography on: ec.europa.eu , status: February 2006 (pdf; 109 kB)
  4. ^ Declan Butler: Can cats spread avian flu? . In: Nature . Volume 440, No. 7081, 2006, p. 135 doi : 10.1038 / 440135a
  5. ^ Thijs Kuiken et al .: Feline friend or potential foe? In: Nature. Volume 440, No. 7085, 2006, p. 741, doi : 10.1038 / 440741a
  6. ↑ Quoted from: Martin Enserink: In Holland, the Public Face of Flu Takes a Hit. In: Science . Volume 326, No. 5951, 2009, pp. 350-351, doi: 10.1126 / science.326 350b
  7. ↑ Tweede Kamer debates rol Osterhaus . Skipr.nl. September 29, 2009. Accessed June 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Financiële belangen Osterhaus were bekend": Declaration by the Dutch Ministry of Health, September 30, 2009 Nieuws - Rijksoverheid.nl ( Memento of March 27, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ Member entry by Prof. Dr. Albert Osterhaus (with curriculum vitae) at the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina , accessed on July 29, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Osterhaus, Albert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Osterhaus, Albertus Dominicus Marcellinus Erasmus; Osterhaus, Ab
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch veterinarian and virologist
DATE OF BIRTH June 2, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Amsterdam