Diagnostic Spectrum

List of Diagnostic Services (PDF Download)

Cardiovascular infections

  • Infective endocarditis
  • Cardiovascular device infections (e.g. Ventricular assist device (VAD), aortic prosthesis, heart valve prosthesis etc.)
Further Information:

New Perspectives for Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis: Impact of Molecular Imaging by FISHseq Diagnostics.
Hajduczenia MM, Klefisch FR, Hopf AGM, Grubitzsch H, Stegemann MS, Pfäfflin F, Puhlmann B, Ocken M, Kretzler L, von Schöning D, Falk V, Moter A, Kikhney J. Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Mar 21;76(6):1050-1058. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac860.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction to detect infections of cardiac implantable electronic devices.
Just IA, Barthel F, Moter A, Kikhney J, Friedrich A, Wloch A, Falk V, Starck C, Schoenrath F. Europace. 2023 Feb 16;25(2):578-585. doi: 10.1093/europace/euac228.

Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization and Polymerase Chain Reaction to Detect Infections in Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices.
Schoenrath F, Kursawe L, Nersesian G, Kikhney J, Schmidt J, Barthel F, Kaufmann F, Knierim J, Knosalla C, Hennig F, Falk V, Potapov E, Moter A. ASAIO J. 2021 May 1;67(5):536-545. doi: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000001260.

Respiratory infections

  • Implant-associated infections (e.g. endobronchial valves)
  • Transplant-related pneumonia/bronchitis
  • Tuberculosis
Further Information:

Co-localized or randomly distributed? Pair cross correlation of in vivo grown subgingival biofilm bacteria quantified by digital image analysis.
Schillinger C, Petrich A, Lux R, Riep B, Kikhney J, Friedmann A, Wolinsky LE, Göbel UB, Daims H, Moter A. PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e37583. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037583. Epub 2012 May 24.

Systemic infections

  • Tropheryma whipplei / Morbus Whipple
  • Spirochaetes
  • Brachyspira
  • Other fastidious microorganisms
Further Information:

Bacterial infection possibly causing autoimmunity: Tropheryma whipplei and membranous nephropathy.
Wiech T, Reinhard L, Wulf S, Giuffrida AE, Longhitano E, Caruso R, Gröne HJ, Stahl RAK, Zipfel PF, Kikhney J, Moter A, Hoxha E, Santoro D. Lancet. 2022 Nov 26;400(10366):1882-1883. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02039-6. Epub 2022 Oct 31.

Potential Role for Urine Polymerase Chain Reaction in the Diagnosis of Whipple's Disease.
Moter A, Janneck M, Wolters M, Iking-Konert C, Wiessner A, Loddenkemper C, Hartleben B, Lütgehetmann M, Schmidt J, Langbehn U, Janssen S, Geelhaar-Karsch A, Schneider T, Moos V, Rohde H, Kikhney J, Wiech T. Clin Infect Dis. 2019 Mar 19;68(7):1089-1097. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciy664.

Distribution and phylogeny of Brachyspira spp. in human intestinal spirochetosis revealed by FISH and 16S rRNA-gene analysis.
Rojas P, Petrich A, Schulze J, Wiessner A, Loddenkemper C, Epple HJ, Sterlacci W, Vieth M, Kikhney J, Moter A. Anaerobe. 2017 Oct;47:25-32. doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2017.03.012. Epub 2017 Mar 12.

Musculoskeletal infections

  • Implant-related infections
Further Information:

Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization as Diagnostic Tool for Implant-associated Infections: A Pilot Study on Added Value.
Scheuermann-Poley C, Wiessner A, Kikhney J, Gatzer R, Müller M, Stichling M, Moter A, Willy C. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2023 May 22;11(5):e4994. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004994. eCollection 2023 May.

Oral infections

  • Periodontal disease
  • Peri-implantitis
Further Information:

Are putative periodontal pathogens reliable diagnostic markers?
Riep B, Edesi-Neuss L, Claessen F, Skarabis H, Ehmke B, Flemmig TF, Bernimoulin JP, Göbel UB, Moter A. J Clin Microbiol. 2009 Jun;47(6):1705-11. doi: 10.1128/JCM.01387-08. Epub 2009 Apr 22.

Molecular epidemiology of oral treponemes in patients with periodontitis and in periodontitis-resistant subjects.
Moter A, Riep B, Haban V, Heuner K, Siebert G, Berning M, Wyss C, Ehmke B, Flemmig TF, Göbel UB. J Clin Microbiol. 2006 Sep;44(9):3078-85. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00322-06.

Molecular epidemiology of oral treponemes associated with periodontal disease.
Moter A, Hoenig C, Choi BK, Riep B, Göbel UB. J Clin Microbiol. 1998 May;36(5):1399-403. doi: 10.1128/JCM.36.5.1399-1403.1998.

Wound infections

  • Surgical wound infections
  • Chronic wound infections
Further Information:

Is There a Wound Recontamination by Eluates with High Bacterial Load in Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy with Instillation and Dwell Time?
Stichling M, Wiessner A, Kikhney J, Gatzer R, Müller M, Scheuermann-Poley C, Moter A, Willy C. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2023 Jan 1;151(1):136e-147e. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000009770. Epub 2022 Oct 17.

Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) in the Microbiological Diagnostic of Deep Sternal Wound Infection (DSWI).
Spindler N, Moter A, Wiessner A, Gradistanac T, Borger M, Rodloff AC, Langer S, Kikhney J. Infect Drug Resist. 2021 Jun 21;14:2309-2319. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S310139. eCollection 2021.

Gynecological infections

  • Chorioamnionitis
  • Mesh-related infections
Further Information:

Transvaginal Mesh-related Complications and the Potential Role of Bacterial Colonization: An Exploratory Observational Study.
Diedrich CM, Verhorstert KWJ, Riool M, Schuster H, de Boer L, Kikhney J, Moter A, Zaat SAJ, Roovers JWR. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2023 Mar;30(3):205-215. doi: 10.1016/j.jmig.2022.11.011. Epub 2022 Nov 25.

Is Ureaplasma spp. the leading causative agent of acute chorioamnionitis in women with preterm birth?
Kikhney J, von Schöning D, Steding I, Schulze J, Petrich A, Hiergeist A, Reischl U, Moter A, Thomas A. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2017 Feb;23(2):119.e1-119.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2016.10.010. Epub 2016 Oct 15.

Our diagnostic methods

We combine molecular imaging with molecular microbiology

  • FISHseq: fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) + 16S rRNA gene sequencing
  • MG-FISH®: fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) + Next Generation Sequencing (NGS, microbiome analysis)
  • quantitative Real-time PCR (qPCR)
Further Information:

Quality Control in Diagnostic Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) in Microbiology.
Kikhney J, Moter A. Methods Mol Biol. 2021;2246:301-316. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1115-9_20.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in the microbiological diagnostic routine laboratory: a review.
Frickmann H, Zautner AE, Moter A, Kikhney J, Hagen RM, Stender H, Poppert S. Crit Rev Microbiol. 2017 May;43(3):263-293. doi: 10.3109/1040841X.2016.1169990. Epub 2017 Jan 27.