Vincent Escuyer
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Vincent Escuyer, PhD

Director, Mycobacteriology Laboratory
PhD (1989), University of Paris 7-Institut Pasteur, France
Postdoctoral training: Harvard Medical School

Research Interests

Tuberculosis is the number one killer among infectious diseases and is responsible for 2 to 3 million deaths per year around the world. The recent emergence of multi- and extensively drug resistant strains (MDR and XDR, respectively) represents a threat to public health worldwide, particularly when associated with HIV. Consequently, there is an urgent need for new tools for early detection and identification of these strains.

The Clinical Mycobacteriology Laboratory at Wadsworth Center performs a full range of conventional and molecular testing procedures for rapid and accurate identification and characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the agent of tuberculosis. Our laboratory is interested in developing new molecular assays concurrently with conventional assays for rapid detection, identification and drug susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex species. These assays involve state of the art molecular techniques including real-time PCR, pyrosequencing and DNA microarray. Early detection of drug resistance would allow faster intervention by the TB control programs and dramatically help the fight against tuberculosis.

Our laboratory is also interested in studying the molecular mechanisms underlying M. tuberculosis resistance to first line anti-TB drugs. A better understanding of these mechanisms will help the development of new drugs to fight this major disease.

Select Publications
Shea J, Halse TA, Kohlerschmidt D, Lapierre P, Modestil HA, Kearns CH, Dworkin FF, Rakeman JL, Escuyer V, Musser KA. Low-Level Rifampin Resistance and rpoB Mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: an Analysis of Whole-Genome Sequencing and Drug Susceptibility Test Data in New York. J Clin Microbiol. 2021; 59 (4): e01885-20. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.01885-20
Pubmed Web Address
Smith C, Halse TA, Shea J, Modestil H, Fowler RC, Musser KA, Escuyer V, Lapierre P. Assessing Nanopore Sequencing for Clinical Diagnostics: a Comparison of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Methods for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. J Clin Microbiol. 2020; 59 (1): e00583-20. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.00583-20
Pubmed Web Address
Loiseau C, Brites D, Moser I, Coll F, Pourcel C, Robbe-Austerman S, Escuyer V, Musser KA, Peacock SJ, Feuerriegel S, Kohl TA, Niemann S, Gagneux S, Köser CU. Revised Interpretation of the Hain Lifescience GenoType MTBC To Differentiate Mycobacterium canettii and Members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2019; 63 (6): e00159-19. DOI: 10.1128/AAC.00159-19
Pubmed Web Address
Morlock GP, Tyrrell FC, Baynham D, Escuyer VE, Green N, Kim Y, Longley-Olson PA, Parrish N, Pennington C, Tan D, Austin B, Posey JE. Using Reduced Inoculum Densities of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in MGIT Pyrazinamide Susceptibility Testing to Prevent False-Resistant Results and Improve Accuracy: A Multicenter Evaluation. Tuberc Res Treat. 2017; 2017 (2017): 3748163. DOI: 10.1155/2017/3748163
Pubmed Web Address
Marcos LA, Spitzer ED, Mahapatra R, Ma Y, Halse TA, Shea J, Isabelle M, Lapierre P, Escuyer VE. Mycobacterium orygis Lymphadenitis in New York, USA. Emerg Infect Dis. 2017; 23 (10): 1749-1751. DOI: 10.3201/eid2310.170490
Pubmed Web Address
Shea J, Halse TA, Lapierre P, Shudt M, Kohlerschmidt D, Van Roey P, Limberger R, Taylor J, Escuyer V, Musser KA. Comprehensive Whole-Genome Sequencing and Reporting of Drug Resistance Profiles on Clinical Cases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in New York State. J Clin Microbiol. 2017; 55 (6): 1871-1882. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.00298-17
Pubmed Web Address