Adrian Marcelo Zelazny, PhD, D(ABMM)

BS, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
MS, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
PhD, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Dr. Zelazny joined the NIH Microbiology Service in 2008 following completion of the NIH ASM-CPEP-approved Postdoctoral Training Program in Clinical Microbiology and the board certification exam.

He became chief of the Department of Laboratory Medicine’s Microbiology Service in 2021. He was the acting chief of the Microbiology Service from 2018 to 2020. He was the acting chief of Microbiology, Microbiology Service, from 2011 to 2012.

Dr. Zelazny has been the Head of the Mycobacteriology Laboratory in the Microbiology Service since 2008. And, he was the director of the NIH Clinical Microbiology Fellowship program from 2012 to 2020.

The Mycobacteriology laboratory maintains a large, on-going collection of clinical isolates of mycobacteria used for patient-care and research purposes.

One major goal of the laboratory is the development of novel proteomic and genomic-based diagnostic assays. Under Dr. Zelazny’s direction, the laboratory has pioneered the use of MALDI TOF mass spectrometry for the identification of mycobacteria and fungi and developed new diagnostic assays for identification and typing of rapidly growing mycobacteria and in particular M. abscessus and more recently the evaluation of a proteomic method direct detection of mycobacteria in patient samples.

His basic research interests include host-pathogen interactions and the evolution of mycobacteria in outbreaks and in persistent infections.

• NIH Clinical Center CEO Award, DLM DTM Collaboration during COVID 19 Testing Team, 2020 
• NIH Clinical Center CEO Award, Operational Leadership for Asymptomatic Staff Testing at CC Team, 2020 
• NIH Clinical Center CEO Award, Candida auris Screening Team, 2019
• NIH Bench to Bedside Award “Peptidomic diagnosis and monitoring of mycobacterial infection in HIV/AIDS,” 2017-2018
• NIAID 2013-2014 Merit Award, Outstanding clinical and basic research team leading to the discovery and characterization of GATA2 deficiency, 2014
• NIH Director’s Science Award, Real-time investigation and coordinated response by the Microbiology Service, Hospital Epidemiology, and NHGRI investigators to a multidrug-resistant KPC Klebsiella outbreak, 2012  
• NIH Clinical Center Director’s Science Award, Analysis of the evolution and virulence of multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, 2011
• NIH Clinical Center Director’s Science Award, Microbial identification by MALDI-TOF MS team, 2010
• Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Young Investigator Award, American Society for Microbiology, 2008  
• NIH Director’s Science Award. Discovery of the bacterial pathogen Granulibacter bethesdensis, 2007  
• Fellows Award for Research Excellence (FARE), 2005

Identification of Clinically Important Microbes by Genomic and Proteomic Methods

Shallom S, Zelazny AM. “Detection of Mixed Populations of Clarithromycin Susceptible and Resistant Mycobacterium abscessus” (2022) J Clin Microb In Press

Manion M, Dulanto Chiang A, Pei L, Wong CS, Khil P, Hammoud DA, Anderson M, Laidlaw E, Kuriakose S, Lisco A; NISC Comparative Sequencing Program, Zelazny AM*, Dekker JP*, Sereti I.J* (* equal contribution). "Disseminated Mycobacterium marinum in HIV unmasked by Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome." (2021) J Infect Dis. 224:453-45

Banaei N, Musser KA, Salfinger M, Somoskovi A, Zelazny AM. “Novel Assays/Applications for Patients Suspected of Mycobacterial Diseases.” (2020) Clin Lab Med. 40:535-552.

Rotcheewaphan S, Lemon JK, Desai UU, Henderson CM, Zelazny AM. "Rapid one-step protein extraction method for the identification of mycobacteria using MALDI-TOF MS." (2019) Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 94:355-360

Zhang W, Shu Q, Zhao Z, Fan J, Lyon CJ, Zelazny AM, Hu Y. "Antigen 85B peptidomic analysis allows species-specific mycobacterial identification." (2018) Clin Proteomics. 58:241-252

Molecular and Virulence Traits of Mycobacteria Causing Outbreaks and Persistent Infections

Davidson RM, Benoit JB, Kammlade SM, Hasan NA, Epperson LE, Smith T, Vasireddy S, Brown-Elliott BA, Nick JA, Olivier KN, Zelazny AM, Daley CL, Strong M, Wallace RJ Jr. “Genomic characterization of sporadic isolates of the dominant clone of Mycobacterium abscessus subspecies massiliense.” (2021) Sci Rep. 11:15336.

Korol CB, Shallom SJ, Arora K, Boshoff HI, Freeman AF, King A, Agrawal S, Daugherty SC, Jancel T, Kabat J, Ganesan S, Torrero MN, Sampaio EP, Barry C 3rd, Holland SM, Tettelin H, Rosenzweig SD*, Zelazny AM*. (* equal contribution). “Tissue specific diversification, virulence and immune response to Mycobacterium bovis BCG in a patient with an IFN-γ R1 deficiency.” (2020) Virulence. 11:1656-1673.

da Silva JL, Gupta S, Olivier KN, Zelazny AM. "Antimicrobial peptides against drug resistant Mycobacterium abscessus." (2020) Res Microbiol. 171:211-214.

Daniel-Wayman S, Abate G, Barber DL, Bermudez LE, Coler RN, Cynamon MH, Daley CL, Davidson RM, Dick T, Floto RA, Henkle E, Holland SM, Jackson M, Lee RE, Nuermberger EL, Olivier KN, Ordway DJ, Prevots DR, Sacchettini JC, Salfinger M, Sassetti CM, Sizemore CF, Winthrop KL, Zelazny AM. “Advancing Translational Science for Pulmonary Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infections. A Road Map for Research.” (2019) Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 199:947-951.