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Professor Tania SorrellProfessor Tania Sorrell

Director of the Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology

Tania Sorrell is Professor of Clinical Infectious Diseases and Director of the Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, the University of Sydney at Westmead.

She is a graduate of the University of Adelaide, with an MD in Clinical Immunology. She was appointed Professor of Clinical Infectious Diseases at the University of Sydney in 1988.

 

She has served on many National and State Committees including Advisory bodies for Infectious Diseases, Drug Evaluation and Research.

 

She is currently a member of the NHMRC Research Committee, Chair of the Urgent Research Subcommittee, member of the Strategic Research Initiatives Subcommittee and the Clinical Research Advisory Group. She is a member of the NHMRC Australian Health Ethics Committee.

She pioneered the establishment of Infectious Diseases as a discipline of Internal Medicine in Australia and has written extensively on the pathogenesis, epidemiology and treatment of fungal infections. She is a consultant in, and Head of, Infectious Diseases at Westmead Hospital.


Research Interests

 

These include the pathogenesis and epidemiology of cryptococcal infections, new antifungal drug discovery and development of novel diagnostics based on magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

 

 

 

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Publications

 

- 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 -

 

2007

  • Wu QX, Chen SCA, Santangelo R, Ganendren R, Payne J, Djordjevic J, Sorrell TC. Cryptococcal phospolipase B antigen is not detected in serum of patients infected with Cryptococcus neoformans using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). FEMS Yeast Res 2007; 7(3):465-70
  • Wright, L, Santangelo, R, Ganendren, R, Payne, J, Djordjevic, J, Sorrell, T. Cryptococcal lipid metabolism: phospholipase B1 is implicated in transcellular metabolism of macrophage-derived lipids. Eukaryotic cell. 2007; 6:37 -47 [Abstract]
  • Lau, A. Shen S, Sorrell T, Carter D, Malik R, Martin P, Halliday C. Development and clinical application of a panfungal PCR assay to detect and identify fungal DNA in tissue specimens. J Clin Microbiol 2007;45(2):380-5.
  • Tong Z, Widmer F, Sorrell TC, Guze Z, Jolliffe KA, Halliday C, Lee OC, Kong F, Wright LC, Chen SC. In-vitro activity of miltefosine and two novel antifungal bis-cationic salts against a panel of 77 dermatophytes. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2007;Vol 51:2219-2222.
  • Ng CK, Singhal V, Widmer F, Wright LC, Sorrell TC, Jolliffe KA. Sybthesis, antifungal and haemolytic activity of a series of bis(pyridinium) salts. Biiorg med Chem 2007; 15(10):3422-9. Epub 2007 Mar 13.

2006

  • Coen, M, Bodkin, J, Power, D, Bubb, W, Himmelreich, U, Kuchel, P, Sorrell, T. Antifungal effects on metabolite profiles of medically important yeast species measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy. 2006; 50:4018-26 [Abstract]
  • Lau, A, Chen, S, Sorrell, T, Carter, D, Malik, R, Martin, P, Halliday, C. Development and clinical application of a panfungal PCR assay to detect and identify fungal DNA in tissue specimens. Journal of clinical microbiology. 2006; 0:0 [Abstract]
  • Sorrell, T, Lonsdale, C. Urgent strategic research into influenza to inform health policy and protect the public. The Medical journal of Australia . 2006; 185:S77-S79 [Abstract]
  • Anaissie, E, Segal, B, Graybill, J, Arndt, C, Perfect, J, Kleinberg, M, Pappas, P, Benjamin, D, Rubin, R, Aberg, J, Adderson, E, Adler-Shohet, F, Akan, H, Akova, M, Almyroudis, N, Alexander, B, Andes, D, Arrieta, A, Baddley, J, Barron, M, Belzberg, H, Boucher, H, Boyce, T, Casadevall, A, Chandrasekar, P, Cleary, J, Cordonnier, C, Cornely, O, Cuenca-Estrella, M, Daly, J, Daoura, N, Denning, D, dePauw, B, de Repentigny, L, Dignani, M, Dismukes, W, Donnelly, J, Donowitz, G, Dupont, B, Drusano, G, Ellis, M, Espinel-Ingroff, A, Fishman, J, Fleming, R, Forrest, G, Ghannoum, M, Goldman, M, Grazziutti, M, Greene, J, Greenberg, R, Gubbins, P, Hadley, S, Herbrecht, R, Hiemenz, J, Hope, W, Hospenthal, D, Husain, S, Ito, J, Jacobson, R, Johnson, M, Keating, M, Kett, D, Knapp, K, Kontoyiannis, D, Krcmery, V, Larsen, R, Laverdiere, M, Ljungman, P, Lortholary, O, Maertens, J, Marriott, D, Mattiuzzi, G, McGinnis, M, Morris, M, Nucci, M, Odds, F, Pankey, G, Patterson, T, Pfaller, M, Razonable, R, Reboli, A, Rinaldi, M, Roberts, G, Tudela, J, Rotstein, C, Ruhnke, M, Schuster, M, Shoham, S, Sia, I, Siebel, N, Silviera, F, Singh, N, Sobel, J, Solomkin, J, Sorrell, T, Steinbach, W, Temesgen, Z, Tortorano, A, Vartivarian, S, VerWeij, P, Viscoli, C, Viviani, M, Walker, R, Wheat, J, Wiley, J, Williamson, P, Wingard, J, Yu, V, Zaoutis, T. Clinical research in the lay press: Irresponsible journalism raises a huge dose of doubt. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2006; 43:1031-1039 [Abstract]
  • Turner, K, Wright, L, Sorrell, T, Djordjevic, J. N-linked glycosylation sites affect secretion of cryptococcal phospholipase B1, irrespective of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchoring. Biochimica et biophysica acta. 2006; 1760:1569-79 [Abstract]
  • Chen, S, Slavin, M, Nguyen, Q, Marriott, D, Playford, E, Ellis, D, Sorrell, T, , A. Active surveillance for candidemia, Australia . Emerging infectious diseases. 2006; 12:1508-16 [Abstract]
  • Playford, E, Webster, A, Sorrell, T, Craig, J. Systematic review and meta-analysis of antifungal agents for preventing fungal infections in liver transplant recipients. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases. 2006; 25:549-561 [Abstract]
  • Marriott, D, Playford, E, Nguyen, Q, Chen, S, Ellis, D, Slavin, M, Sorrell, T. Candidaemia in the Australian intensive care unit: Epidemiology, clinical features and outcome from a 3 year nationwide study. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2006; 10:S77-S78 [Abstract]
  • Sorrell, T, Wright, L, Malik, R, Himmelreich, U. Application of proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to the study of Cryptococcus and cryptococcosis. FEMS yeast research. 2006; 6:558-66 [Abstract]
  • Ganendren, R, Carter, E, Sorrell, T, Widmer, F, Wright, L. Phospholipase B activity enhances adhesion of Cryptococcus neoformans to a human lung epithelial cell line. Microbes and infection / Institut Pasteur. 2006; 8:1006-15 [Abstract]
  • Playford, E, Webster, A, Sorrell, T, Craig, J. Antifungal agents for preventing fungal infections in non-neutropenic critically ill and surgical patients: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy. 2006; 57:628-38 [Abstract]
  • Siafakas, A, Wright, L, Sorrell, T, Djordjevic, J. Lipid rafts in Cryptococcus neoformans concentrate the virulence determinants phospholipase B1 and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase. Eukaryotic cell. 2006; 5:488-98 [Abstract]
  • Playford, E, Kong, F, Sun, Y, Wang, H, Halliday, C, Sorrell, T. Simultaneous detection and identification of Candida, Aspergillus, and Cryptococcus species by reverse line blot hybridization. Journal of clinical microbiology. 2006; 44:876-80 [Abstract]
  • Widmer, F, Wright, L, Obando, D, Handke, R, Ganendren, R, Ellis, D, Sorrell, T. Hexadecylphosphocholine (miltefosine) has broad-spectrum fungicidal activity and is efficacious in a mouse model of cryptococcosis. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy. 2006; 50:414-21 [Abstract]
  • Halliday, C, Hoile, R, Sorrell, T, James, G, Yadav, S, Shaw, P, Bleakley, M, Bradstock, K, Chen, S. Role of prospective screening of blood for invasive aspergillosis by polymerase chain reaction in febrile neutropenic recipients of haematopoietic stem cell transplants and patients with acute leukaemia. British journal of haematology. 2006; 132:478-86 [Abstract]
  • Ng, C, Obando, D, Widmer, F, Wright, L, Sorrell, T, Jolliffe, K. Correlation of antifungal activity with fungal phospholipase inhibition using a series of bisquaternary ammonium salts. Journal of medicinal chemistry. 2006; 49:811-6 [Abstract]

2005

  • Coen, M, O'Sullivan, M, Bubb, W, Kuchel, P, Sorrell, T. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabonomics for rapid diagnosis of meningitis and ventriculitis. Clinical infectious diseases: an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America . 2005; 41:1582-90 [Abstract]
  • Himmelreich, U, Somorjai, R, Dolenko, B, Daniel, H, Sorrell, T. A rapid screening test to distinguish between Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis using NMR spectroscopy. FEMS microbiology letters. 2005; 251:327-32 [Abstract]
  • Halliday, C, Wu, Q, James, G, Sorrell, T. Development of a nested qualitative real-time PCR assay to detect Aspergillus species DNA in clinical specimens. Journal of clinical microbiology. 2005; 43:5366-8 [Abstract]
  • Djordjevic, J, Del Poeta, M, Sorrell, T, Turner, K, Wright, L. Secretion of cryptococcal phospholipase B1 (PLB1) is regulated by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. Biochemical journal. 2005; 389:803-12 [Abstract]
  • Himmelreich, U, Accurso, R, Malik, R, Dolenko, B, Somorjai, R, Gupta, R, Gomes, L, Mountford, C, Sorrell, T. Identification of Staphylococcus aureus brain abscesses: rat and human studies with 1H MR spectroscopy. Radiology. 2005; 236:261-70 [Abstract]
  • Dzendrowskyj, T, Dolenko, B, Sorrell, T, Somorjai, R, Malik, R, Mountford, C, Himmelreich, U. Diagnosis of cerebral cryptococcoma using a computerized analysis of 1H NMR spectra in an animal model. Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease. 2005; 52:101-5 [Abstract]
  • Santangelo, R, Chen, S, Sorrell, T, Wright, L. Detection of antibodies to phospholipase B in patients infected with Cryptococcus neoformans by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Medical mycology: official publication of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology. 2005; 43:335-41 [Abstract]

2004

  • Wright, L, Payne, J, Santangelo, R, Simpanya, M, Chen, S, Widmer, F, Sorrell, T. Cryptococcal phospholipases: a novel lysophospholipase discovered in the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus gattii. The Biochemical journal. 2004; 384:377-84 [Abstract]
  • Chang, Y, Wright, L, Tscharke, R, Sorrell, T, Wilson, C, Kwon-Chung, K. Regulatory roles for the homeodomain and C2H2 zinc finger regions of Cryptococcus neoformans Ste12alphap. Molecular microbiology. 2004; 53:1385-96 [Abstract]
  • Ganendren, R, Widmer, F, Singhal, V, Wilson, C, Sorrell, T, Wright, L. In vitro antifungal activities of inhibitors of phospholipases from the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy. 2004; 48:1561-9 [Abstract]
  • Santangelo, R, Zoellner, H, Sorrell, T, Wilson, C, Donald, C, Djordjevic, J, Shounan, Y, Wright, L. Role of extracellular phospholipases and mononuclear phagocytes in dissemination of cryptococcosis in a murine model. Infection and immunity. 2004; 72:2229-39 [Abstract]
  • Baumgartner, R, Somorjai, R, Bowman, C, Sorrell, T, Mountford, C, Himmelreich, U. Unsupervised feature dimension reduction for classification of MR spectra. Magnetic resonance imaging. 2004; 22:251-6 [Abstract]

2003

  • Himmelreich, U, Somorjai, R, Dolenko, B, Lee, O, Daniel, H, Murray, R, Mountford, C, Sorrell, T. Rapid identification of Candida Species by Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and a Statistical classification strategy. Applied And Environmental Microbiology. 2003; 69:4566-4574
  • Himmelreich, U, Allen, C, Dowd, S, Malik, R, Shehan, B, Mountford, C, Sorrell, T. Identification of metabolites of importance in the pathogenesis of pulmonary cryptoccoma using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Microbes And Infection. 2003; 5:285-290
  • Kidd, S, Sorrell, T, Meyer, W. Isolation of two molecualr types of Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii from insect frass. Medical Mycology. 2003; 41:171-176
  • Latouche, G, Huynh, M, Sorrell, T, Meyer, W. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the phospholipase B (PLB1) gene for subtyping of cryptococcus neoformans isolates. Applied And Environmental Microbiology. 2003; Vol 69, No. 4:2080-2086
  • Coe, J, Wilson, C, Sorrell, T, Latouche, G, Wright, L. Cloning of CnLYS01, a novel extracellular lysophospholipase of the pathogenic fungus cryptococcus neoformans. Gene. 2003; 316 (2003):67-78

2002

  • Himmelreich, U, Gomes, L, Murray, R, Ingham, N, Sorrell, T. Cerebral nocardiosis characterized by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in vivo. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2002; 34:849-852
  • Latouche, G, Sorrell, T, Meyer, W. Isolation and characterisation of the phospholipase B gene of Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii. Fems Yeast Research. 2002; 2:551-561
  • Wright, L, Bubb, W, Davidson, J, Santangelo, R, Krockenberger, M, Himmelreich, U, Sorrell, T. Metabolites released by Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans and var. gattii differentially affect human neutrophil function. Microbes and Infection. 2002; 4:1427-1438
  • Wright, L, Chen, S, Wilson, C, Simpanya, M, Blackstock, R, Cox, G, Muraleedaran, K, Sorrell, T. Strain-dependent effects of environmental signals on the production of extracellular phospholipase by Cryptococcus neoformans. Fems Microbiology Letters. 2002; 209:175-181
  • Himmelreich, U, Somorjai, R, Bourne, R, Sorrell, T, Mountford, C. Identification of Cryptococcus neoformans by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Microbiology Australia . 2002; 23:31 -33

2001

  • Himmelreich, U, Dzendrowskyj, T, Allen, C, Dowd, S, Malik, R, Shehan, B, Russell, P, Mountford, C, Sorrell, T. Cryptococcomas distinguished from gliomas with MR spectroscopy: an experimental rat and cell culture study. Radiology. 2001; 16:1592-1597
  • Sorrell, T. Cryptococcus neoformans variety gatti. Medical Mycology. 2001; 16:2632-2639
  • Cox, G, McDade, H, Chen, S, Tucker, S, Gottfredsson, M, Wright, L, Sorrell, T, Leidich, S, Casadevall, A, Ghannoum, M, Perfect, J. Extracellular phospholipase activity is a virulence factor for cryptococcus neoformans. Molecular Microbiology. 2001; 174:293-295
  • Bourne, R, Himmelreich, U, Mountford, C, Sharma, A, Sorrell, T. Identification of Enterococcus, Streptococcus and Staphylococcus by multi-variant analysis of Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic data from plate cultures. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 2001; 4 (Suppl 1):S7-S13
  • Maszewska, K, Kidd, S, Hitchcock, C, Maszewska, K, Balakrishnan, P, Hunt, C, Rajendran, P, Usha, A, Thyagarajan, S, Sorrell, T, Meyer, W. Molecular Epidemiology of clinical and environmental isolates of cryptococcus neoformans from Tamil Nadu, India. Australasian Mycologist. 2001; 17(4):375-386
  • Daniel, H, Sorrell, T, Meyer, W. Partial sequence analysis of the actin gene and its potential for studying the phylogeny of Candida species and their teleomorphs. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2001; 297:804-810
  • Meyer, W, Maszewska, K, Sorrell, T. PCR fingerprinting: a convenient molecular tool to distinguish between candida duliniensis and Candida albicans. Medical Mycology. 2001; 3:236-244

2000

  • Kwon-Chung, K, Sorrell, T, Dromer, F, Fung, E, Levitz, S. Cryptococcosis: clinical and biological aspects. Medical Mycology. 2000; 38 Supplement:205-213
  • Chen, S, Sorrell, T, Nimmo, G, Speed, B, Currie, B, Ellis, D, Marriott, D, Pfeiffer, T, Parr, D, Byth, K, Aust Cryptococcal Group, 4. Epidemiology and host- and variety-dependent characteristics of infection due to Cryptococcus neoformans in Australian and New Zealand . Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2000; 31:499-508
  • Sorrell, T, Iredell, J, Mitchell, D. Higher bacterial diseases. In: Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, 5th edn. : Churchill Livingstone 2000. p. 2637-2645.
  • Chen, S, Wright, L, Golding, J, Sorrell, T. Purification and characterization of secretory phospholipase B, lysophospholipase and lysophospholipase/transacylase from a virulent strain of the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. Biochemical Journal. 2000; 347:431-439
  • Wright, L, Groot Obbink, K, Delikatny, E, Santangelo, R, Sorrell, T. The origin of 1H NMR-visible triacylglycerol in human neutrophils: high fatty acid environments result in preferential sequestration of palmitic acid into plasma membrane triacylglycerol. European Journal of Biochemistry. 2000; 267:68-78

 

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Contact Details

T +61 2 9845 6012

F +61 2 9891 5317

E tania_sorrell@wmi.usyd.edu.au

 

 

 

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