Professor Hermine Mkrtchyan

Professor of Microbiology and Head of Research

School of Medicine and Biosciences

hermine.mkrtchyan@uwl.ac.uk

I use an interdisciplinary approach from laboratory to policy implementation to address challenges of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that require concrete global efforts.

My research interests primarily lie within the One Health approach to study the interactions between human/livestock/environmental microbiomes and transmission of AMR to develop interventions for the public good. My research group studies how we can make the environment healthier and reduce the spread of infections and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We use whole genome sequencing to aid to understand the transmission and horizontal gene transfer in different related species and if they are transferable into human pathogens. We also use both short and long read sequencing (metagenomics approaches) to analyse the total microbial communities (microbiomes), specifically the relative abundance and diversity of AMR genes and their transmission dynamics between humans, animals, and their associated environments, and to provide in-depth genomic analysis to identifying novel or rare genetic features of relevant human and animal pathogens. 

Find out more about the Microbiomes, environment and health research page.

Qualifications

PhD in Biological Sciences
MSc in Biophysics
BSc in Biophysics
Memberships

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Teaching

Modules taught:

Medical Microbiology; Clinical Microbiology & Infection Control.

Research

See Professor Hermine Mkrtchyan's publications list in the UWL Repository.

Research and publications

Book chapters
Shah AJ, Serafim V, Xu Z, Mkrtchyan HV, Shah HN. Chapter 15: ‘Determination of Antimicrobial Resistance using Tandem Mass Spectrometry’. In " MALDI-TOF and Tandem MS for Clinical Microbiology". Wiley, 2017.
Xu Z, […], Mkrtchyan HV, […]. Chapter 21B: ‘Subtyping of Staphylococcus spp. Based upon MALDI-TOF MS Data Analysis’. In " MALDI-TOF and Tandem MS for Clinical Microbiology". Wiley, 2017.
Haroun N. Shah, […], Hermine V Mkrtchyan, […]. Chapter 3: MALDI TOF MS and currently related proteomic technologies in reconciling bacterial systematics. In "Trends in Bacterial and Fingal systematics". Wiley, 2020.
Publications
Rory Cave, Mary Ter-Stepanyan, Hermine V Mkrtchyan*. 2023. Short and long read sequencing revealed the detection and evolution of an IncF plasmid harbouring blaCTX-M-15 and blaCTX-M-27 genes in Escherichia coli ST131. Microbiology Spectrum.
Jie Sheng, Rory Cave, Mary M Ter-Stepanyan, Nune Kotsinyan, Jiazhen Chen, Taijiao Jiang, Hermine V Mkrtchyan*. 2023. Whole genome sequencing and comparative genomics analysis of a newly emerged multidrug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ST967. Microbiology Spectrum.
Rory Cave, Nune Kotsinyan, Mary Ter-Stepanyan, Hermine V Mkrtchyan*. 2022. UroPathogenic and Extended spectrum beta-lactamase Escherichia coli ST127 belonging to a new emerging lineage containing unique genetic adaption for urinary tract infections from remints of prophage insertion regions. Microbiology Spectrum. http://doi.org/10/1128/spectrum.02511-22.
El-Deeb W, Cave R, Fayez M, Alhumam N, Quadri S, Mkrtchyan HV. 2022. Methicillin resistant staphylococci isolated from goats and their farm environments in Saudi Arabia genotypically linked to known human clinical isolates: a pilot study. Microbiology Spectrum. Visit the ASM Journals website for more information.
Cole JA, Dodds K, Ayikoru M, Mkrtchyan HV. 2021. Unpacking vaccine ‘hesitancy’: the spectrum of vaccine acceptance. BMJ. Visit the BMJ Opinion website for more information.
Cole J, Dodds K, Ayikoru M, Mkrtchyan HV. Critical Health Geopolitics: (Un)healthy Spaces During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The UNESCO Social Sciences and COVID 19 pandemic. 2021.
Rory Cave, Raju Misra, Jiazhen Chen, Shiyong Wang, Hermine V Mkrtchyan*. 2021. Comparative genomics demonstrated a link between staphylococci isolates from different sources; A Possible public health risk. Frontiers in Microbiol. Visit the Frontiers website for more information. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.576696
El-Deeb W, […], Mkrtchyan HV. 2021 The effect of staphylococcal mastitis including resistant strains on serum procalcitonin, neopterin, acute phase response and stress biomarkers in Holstein dairy cows. PeerJ. 9:e11511
Xu Z, Li X, Tian D, Sun Z, Guo L, Dong C, Tang N, Mkrtchyan HV*. 2020. Molecular characterization of methicillin-resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus recovered from hospital personnel. J Med Microbiol. doi: 10.1099/jmm.0.001272. PMID: 33180019.
Zhen Xu, Jiazhen Chen, Kostas Vougas, Haroun Shah, Raju Misra, Hermine V Mkrtchyan*. 2020. Comparative proteomic profiling of methicillin susceptible and resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Proteomics: 20, 1900221. doi: 10.1002/pmic.201900221.
Zhen Xu, Rory Cave, Liqin Chen, Tsetan Yangkyi, Yuting Liu, Yan Liu, Ge Meng, Kaijun Niu, Wanqi Zhang, Naijun Tang, Jun Shen, Hermine V Mkrtchyan*. 2020. Molecular characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis recovered from hospital personnel in Tianjin, China.Journal of Global Antibimicrobial Resistance. Visit the ScienceDirect website for more information.
El-Deeb W. Elsohaby I, Fayez M, Mkrtchyan HV, El-Etriby D, ElGioushy M. 2020. Use of procalcitonin, neopterin, haptoglobin, serum amyloid A and proimflammatory cytokines in diagnosis and prognosis of bovine respiratory disease in feedlot calves under field conditions. Acta Trop. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105336.
Jamrozy D, Misra R, Xu Zhen, Ter-Stepanyan MM, Karapetyan HD, Hambardzumyan ADz, Mkrtchyan HV*. 2019. Novel methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC8 clone carrying SCCmec V with high similarity to element from coagulase negative staphylococci identified in a hospital setting in Armenia. Front. Microbiol. Visit the Frontiers website for more information.
Cave R, Misra R, Chen J, Wang S, Mkrtchyan HV*. 2019. Whole genome sequencing revealed new molecular characteristics in multidrug resistant staphylococci. Nature Sci. Reports. DOI : 10.1038/s41598-019-45886-6.
Xu Zhen, Raju Misra, Gavin K Paterson, Ronald R Cutler, Mark A Holmes, Saheer Gharbia, Mkrtchyan HV*. 2018. Whole genome sequence and comparative genomics analysis of multi-drug resistant environmental Staphylococcus epidermidis ST59. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics. Visit the Oxford Academic website for more information.
Zhen Xu, Haroun N Shah, Raju Misra, Jiazhen Chen, Wenhong Zhang, Yuting Liu, Ronald R Cutler, Hermine V Mkrtchyan*. 2018. The prevalence, antibiotic resistance and mecA characterization of coagulase negative staphylococci recovered from non-healthcare settings in London, UK. Antimicrobial Resist & Inf Control. DOI : 10.1186/s13756-018-0367-4.
Mkrtchyan HV*, Zhen X, Yacoub M, Ter-Stepanyan MM, Karapetyan HD, Cutler RR, Kearns AM, Pichon B, Hambardzumyan ADz. 2017. Detection of diverse genotypes of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus from hospital personnel and the environment in Armenia. Antimicrob Resist & Inf Control.6:19.doi: 10.1186/s13756-017-0169-0. Visit the BMC website for more information.
Mkrtchyan HV, Xu Zhen, Cutler RR 2015. Diversity of SCCmec elements in environmental staphylococci. BMC Microbiology 15:120; doi:10.1186/s12866-015-0451-3.
Zhen X, Mkrtchyan HV*, Cutler RR 2015. Antibiotic resistance and mecA characterization of coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from three hotels in London, UK. Front. Microbiol. 09 September.
Mkrtchyan HV, Russell CA, Wang N, Cutler RR 2013. Could public restrooms be an environment for bacterial resistomes? PLoS ONE 8(1): e54223. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054223.
Mkrtchyan HV, Cutler R. 2012. Identification of mecA genes in environmental staphylococcal isolates. International journal of infectious diseases vol. 16, 426.
Mkrtchyan H*, Gibbons S, Heidelberger S, Zloh M, Khalatbari Limaki H 2010. Purification, characterization and identification of acidocin LCHV, an antimicrobial peptide produced by Lactobacillus acidophilus n.v. 317/402 strain Narine. Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents, 35 (3): 255-260.
The conversation 2019: Visit The Conversation website for more information.
BBC Science Focus 2019: Antibiotic resistance: is it really as bad as climate change?
Conferences

R. Cave […], Mkrtchyan HV. The detection and evolution of an IncF plasmid type harbouring both blaCTX-M-15 and blaCTX-M-27 genes from Escherichia coli ST131. ECCMID 2022. Copenhagen, Denmark.
O. Privitali […], Mkrtchyan HV. Comparison of matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry vs. metagenomics sequencing for the assessment of surfaces in healthcare settings in outbreak situations. ECCMID 2022. Copenhagen, Denmark.
R. Cave […], Mkrtchyan HV. CC5 MRSA isolates from goats and the farm environment in Saudi Arabia phylogenetically linked to isolates recovered from humans in clinical samples from the USA and Europe ECCMID 2022. Lisbon, Portugal.
Cole J, Dodds K, Ayikoru M, Mkrtchyan HV. Critical Health Geopolitics: (Un)healthy Spaces During the COVID-19 Pandemic. UNESCO: Social Sciences and COVID 19 pandemic. October 2021. Paris, France.
Cole JA, Dodds K, Ayikoru M, Mkrtchyan HV. 2021. Unpacking vaccine ‘hesitancy’: the spectrum of vaccine acceptance. British Medical Journal. Visit the BMJ Opinion website for more information.
Zhen Xu, Tsetan Yangkyi, Liqin Chen, Yuting Liu, Jiazhen Chen, Ge Meng, Kaijun Niu, Wanqi Zhang, Jun Shen, Hermine V Mkrtchyan. Molecular characterization of Staphylococcus epidermidis recovered from healthcare personnel in a hospital in Tianjin, China. ECCMID 2019. Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Cave R, Misra R, Mkrtchyan H. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) to unveil the molecular epidemiology of S. haemolyticus. ECCMID 2019. Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Cave R, Serafm V, Sellami L, Shah A, Mkrtchyan H, Shah H. Comparative MALDI-TOF analysis of Staphylococcus spp. from the Environment including Antibiotic Resistant Strains. MSACL 2018. Salzburg, Austria.
Cave R, Misra R, Mkrtchyan H. Diversity of SCCmec elements recovered from high-frequency hand-touched areas from general public setting from East and West London. ECCMID 2018. Madrid, Spain.
Zhen Xu, Kathleen Vranckx, Haroun Shah, Ronald R Cutler, Bruno Pot, Hermine V Mkrtchyan. Mass spectra-based systematics analysis of antibiotic resistant environmental staphylococci. ECCMID 2016. Amsterdam, Holland.
Xu Zhen, Raju Misra, Mkrtchyan HV, Ronald R Cutler, Saheer Gharbia, Gavin K Paterson. Whole genome sequencing has revealed the transmission of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes in Staphylococcus epidermidis. ECCMID 2016. Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Mkrtchyan HV, Cutler RR, Zhen X, Kearns AM, Pichon B, Yacoub M, Hambardzumyan ADz, Ter-Stepanyan MM, Karapetyan HD. Characterisation of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus from hospital personnel and the environment in Armenia. ECCMID 2015. Copenhagen, Denmark.
Xu Zhen, Hermine V Mkrtchyan, Ronald R Cutler. Widespread distribution of multidrug resistance in community associated staphylococci. FEMS 2015. Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Xu Zhen, Hermine V Mkrtchyan, Ronald R Cutler. Molecular characterization of methicillin-resistant coagulase negative Staphylococci isolated from environment. ESCMID 2014. Barcelona, Spain.
Wang N, Mkrtchyan HV, Cutler RR. Rapid method to measure gaseous exchange from bacteria undergoing treatment of different antimicrobial/disinfectant agents in real time. FEMS 2013. Leipzig, Germany.
Wang N, Nürnberg DJ, Mkrtchyan HV, Cutler RR. Survival and biofilm formation of multidrug resistant and multidrug susceptible environmental staphylococci. FEMS 2013. Leipzig, Germany.
Mkrtchyan HV, Cutler RR. The diversity of SCCmec elements found in environmental staphylococci. ESCMID 2013. Berlin, Germany.
Mkrtchyan HV, Cutler RR. The discovery of EMRSA-15 in environmental staphylococci isolates. IMED-2013. Vienna, Austria.
Mkrtchyan HV, Cutler RR. Determination of mecA and PVL carriage in a methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a public washroom. ICAR 2012. Lisbon, Portugal.
Mkrtchyan H, Cutler R. Identification of mecA gene in environmental Staphylococci isolates. ISID 2012. Bangkok, Thailand.
Mkrtchyan H, Cutler R. Multiply drug resistant coagulase negative staphylococci isolated from public toilets. FEMS 2011. Geneva, Switzerland.
Research degree supervision

Principal Supervisor
Oscar Previtali
Rory Cave
Zhen Xu