ASEM ATA SHEHABI, DSc
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
P.O. Box 830958, Amman 11830 Jordan
Tel. Off. +962 6 5355000/23488, Mobile +962- 795800618
E-mail:- ashehabi@go.com.jo / ashehabi@ju.edu.jo
DATE& PLACE OF BIRTH: 1940, Jerusalem
NATIONALITY : Jordanian,
MARITAL STATUS: Married
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION: 1959, Jerusalem
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:
1972 Doctor of Science / Medical Microbiology, University of Kiel, Germany
1969 Certificate in Medical Microbiology, University of Kiel, Germany
1967 Diploma / Biology, University of Hamburg, Germany.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER:
1986-Present: Professor of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine University of Jordan.
1980-1985: Associate Professor of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine,
1977-1980: Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of
Jordan, Amman, Jordan. Chief of Division, Amman-Jordan.
1977-Present: Consultant in Bacteriology, Jordan University Hospital
1973-1977: Chief Bacteriologist Ministry of Health, Central Government Laboratory,
Amman - Jordan.
1972-1973: Research Assistant, School of Medicine, Medical Clinics, University of
Hamburg, Germany.
HONORS AND AWARDS:
1979 (3 months) :Research-Fellowship, National Institutes of Health, University of Minnesota, School of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Minneapolis, U.S.A.
1981 (3 months) : Research Fellowship, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Hamburg, Germany.
1983-1984 ( one year) :Fulbright-Fellowship, Visiting Scholar, Wake Forest University, School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Winston-Salem, N.C., U.S.A.
1989 (3 months): DAAD, Research Fellowship-Visiting Professor, Institute of Hygiene University of Heidelberg, Germany.
1990 (1 month): Visiting Professor, Centers for Disease Control, Enteric Division, Atlanta, U.S.A.
2003 ( one month): Visiting Professor, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Medical school, University of Lund, Sweden
MAJOR ADMINISTRATIVE AND CONSULTATION EXPERIENCES:
1981-1983: Chairman, Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jordan, Amman – Jordan
1991-1995: Chairman, Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jordan, Amman – Jordan
1985-1986: Chairman, Professor-Students Committee,
1990-1991 Chairman, Professor-Students Committee,Faculty of Medicine
1989-1990: Vice Dean, Deanship of Academic Research, Jordan University.
1988-1990: Consultant for Medical Allied Professions, Ministry of Higher Education, Amman, Jordan.
1985-present: Free Consultant for World Health Organization.
1995-1996 and 1998-2007
Chairman, Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
1999-2002: Director, Jordan University Hospital Medical Labs
1990- 2008 present: Member of editorial board of various journals for many years: Jordan Medical Journal, Royal Medical Services, Amman, Jordan, JAMA Hospital & Surgery, Middle East, Cannes, France, African Journal of Medical Microbiology, South Africa. Al-Thaqafiyyah, A National Journal of Culture and Discussion at the University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
2009-present: Chairman of Higher Jordanian Commission for Water Protection,
Amman, Jordan.
1980- Present: Reviewer of more than 300 Scientific Papers for Numerous Medical Arab and International Journals.
1979-Present: Supervisor and Co-supervisor for 34 MSc. Theses', University
of Jordan and other Jordanian Universities.
1977-Present: Presented over 300 Lectures and Scientific Research Papers at Local, International Medical and Scientific Conferences and Workshops & Symposia.
PROFESSIONAL LICENCE:
Medical Laboratory License Director -issued by Jordan Ministry of Health, 1976.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:
Jordan Society for Medical Laboratories, Amman, Jordan Society for Biological Sciences, Amman, Jordan
Vice President of Arab Alliance for Prudent Use for Antimicrobial, Agents, Cairo,
Member of The American Society of Microbiology, Washington, USA.
Member of Executive Board of Eastern Mediterranean Network of Sexually Transmitted Disease Control (EMNOSTIC), affiliated with WHO, Cairo, Egypt
Editor-in-Chief, International Arabic Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, Publisher: :iMedpub journal.
Member of Executive Board of Al-Arabia for nature protection, Amman, Jordan.
Main Research and Studies Interests:
Medical diagnostic of Bacteria and Fungi
Molecular diagnosis of pathogenic bacteria
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Bacteria and Candida
Molecular bacterial mechanisms of resistance
Detection of bacterial enterotoxins and virulence factors
Detection of pathogenic bacteria and fungi and their Products In food and water
List of Major Publication in English:
1. Asem A. Shehabi: Evaluation of blood and feces cultures in the diagnosis of Salmonella infection in Jordan. Jordan Med. J. 9: 2, 155-158, 1974.2. Y. Wahbeh, Z. toubassy and Asem A.Shehabi : Prevalence and significance of Beta-hemolytic streptococci in throats of Jordanian school-children. Jordan Med. J, 10: 2, 115-121, 1975.
3. Asem A. Shehabi : Ringworm of the scalp in Jordanian children.
Jordan Med. J, 11: 1, 44-46, 1976 .
4. Asem A. Shehabi : A bacteriological study of an outbreak of water borne infection in the town of Salt. Jordan Med. J, 11: 2, 135-139, 1976.
5. Asem A. Shehabi : Bacteriological pollution in the drinking water of Jordan.
Environmental conservation, Switzerland, 3: 3, 197-199, 1976.
6. S. Koury, S. Qubain and Asem A. Shehabi : The water contamination of salt 1976 An epidemiological study of disease outbreaks. Jordan Med. J, 12: 2, 34-43, 1977.
7. H. M. Nazer and Asem A. Shehabi : Fulminate septicemia caused by Salmonella typhimurium. Jordan Med. J. 14: 1, 83-86, 1980.
8. Asem A. Shehabi : Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of bacteria commonly isolated from urine at the Jordan University Hospital. Dirasat of the Jordan University , 7: 1, 25-30, 1980.
9. Asem A. Shehabi, A. M. Dajani and K. B. Bjornes jo : Recovery of Shigella flexneri form a urinary stone. Clinical Microbiology-Newsletter, 2: 10, 6-7, 1980.
10. Asem A. Shehabi : Antibody response to single and double doses of typhoid-paratyphoid vaccine. Dirasat of the Jordan University, 7: 1, 31-35, 1980.
11. Asem A. Shehabi, A.B. Abu Rajab and A.A.Shaker : Observation on the emergence of non-choloerae vibrois during an out-break of cholera. Jordan Med. J, 14: 2, 123-127, 1980.
12. A. M. Dajani, K. Bjornesjo and A.A. Shehabi : Urinary stone disease in Jordan.
Editors : J. G. Wynne Brocks, and Birdwell Finlayson, PSG Publishing Company, Inc., Littletion, Massachusetts, USA, 1981.
13. Asem A. Shehabi : The value of a single Widal test in the diagnosis of
acute typhoid fever. Journal of Trop. Geogr. Med, 33:113-116, 1981.
14. K. Shaker, B. Dajani and A.A. Shehabi : Chloramphenicol versus combination chemotherapy in typhoid fever. Journal of Trop. Geogr. Med, 35: 155-158, 1982.
15. Asem A. Shehabi and J. Haddadin : Salmonella stereotypes isolated from
patients at two main medical centers in Amman (1976-1980). Jordan Med. J,16, 1, 49-54, 1982.
16. A. M. Dajani and Asem A. Shehabi : Bacteriology and composition of infected stones. Urology /USA , 21: 4, 351-353, 1983.
17. Asem A. Shehabi : Distribution of hemolytic streptococci in pharyngitis.
Arab Journal of Medicine, 2:10, 21-22, 1983.
18. S. Amr, Asem A. Shehabi and F. Souri : Bacteriology and prophylactic
antibiotic study in biliary tract surgery. Jordan Med. J, 17: 2, 189-195, 1984.
19. Asem A. Shehabi : Epidemology of antimicrobial resistance among Shigella isolates over five years. Jordan Med. J, 18: 1, 19-26, 1984.
20. A. Mahasneh, S. Bodour , A.A. Shehabi : The Association of common pyocin type with antimicrobial resistant in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Jordan Med. J, 19: 51-57, 1985.
21. Asem A. Shehabi, S. Khoury, D. Mas’ad : Emergency of sporadic
diphtheria cases in Jordan. Arab J. of Medicine, 4: 2, 19, 1985.
22. Asem A. Shehabi, J. Zubi , G. Za’balawi : Emergence of antibiotic resistance among Salmonella Isolates in a Hospital.
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 4: 3, 352-354, 1985.
23. Asem A. Shehabi, S. Richardson : Enterotoxogenicity of clinical isolates of Non-10 V. cholerae. Zhb. Bakt. Hyg. A./International Journal of Microbiology and Hygiene. 260: 311-318, 1985.
24. Asem A. Shehabi, H. Arda, M. Sharaf and J. Damin : A recent survey of tinea capitis in Jordanain children. Trans. Trop. Med. Hyg, 80: 163-164, 1986.
25. Asem A. Shehabi, S. Richardson and H. Drexeler : Virulence mechanisms associated with clinical isolates of Non-01 vibrio cholerae. Zhb. Bakt. Hyg. A. / International Journal of Microbiology and Hygiene, 261: 232-239, 1986.
26. N. Hamdi, Asem A. Shehabi ,A. Mahasneh : Antibiotic resistance of Urinary and faecal E. coli in relation to serotypes. Journal Faculty of. Medicune / Baghdad, 28: 1, 35-41, 1986.
27. Asem A.Shehabi, H. Nazer, A. K. Shamayleh : Bacteriology of neonatal septicemia at the Jordan University Hospital.
Dirasat of the Jordan University, 13: 11, 107-111, 1986.
28. N.Khuri-Bulos,Y.Hamzah, S.M.Sammerrai, Asem A. Shehabi et al. : The changing epidemiology of diphtheria in Jordan.
Bulletin of the Word Health Organization, 66(1), 65-68, 1988.
29. Asem A.Shehabi, S .F. Sammerrai , H. Nazer: Diagnostic Value of a single
30. streptozyme test for screening streptococcal sore throat infection. Serodiagnosis and Immunotherapy Infections Disease, 2: 411-414, 1988.
30. Asem A.Shehabi, K. Shakir, M. El-Khateeb, H. Qubain , N. Farajeh , A. Abu Shamat “Diagnosis and treatment of 106 prospective cases of human brucellosis. Journal of Infection, 20: 5-10, 1990.
31. A. B. Al-Lahham, M. Abu-Saud and Asem A. Shehabi : Prevalence of
Salmonella, Shiqella and Intestinal Parasites in Food Handlers In IRBID. Jordan. Journal of Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, 8, 160-162, 1990.
32. A. Issa, A. Bataineh, O.Shaheen, N. Dajani and Asem A. Shehabi : Therapeutic efficacy of a single dose of clortrimazole cream or tablets in the treatment of vaginal Candidiasis. Advances In Therapy, 8: 6, 293-296, 1991.
33. Asem A. Shehabi, F. Sayegh, I. Farah and A. Shamayleh. Aetiology of bacterial conjunctivitis among ophthalmic patients at Jordan University Hospital. Jordan Med. Journal, 25: 179-184, 1991.
34. Asem A. Shehabi, B. A. Karmi, Cryptosporidosis in hospitalized patients.
Jordan Med. Journal, 26: 167-170, 1992.
35. Najwa A. Khuri-Bulos, M. Abu Khalaf, Asem A. Shehabi and K. Shami. Food-handler- associated Salmonella outbreak in a University Hospital despite routine surveillance cultures of kitchen employees.
Infection Control &Hospital Epidemiology, 15:311-314, 1994.
36. Asem A. Shehabi : Extra-intestinal infections with multiply drug-resistant Salmonella typhimurium in hosptialized patients in Jordan.
European Journal Clinical.Microbiology. Infectious Diseases, 14: 448-451, 1995.
37. Asem A. Shehabi and Izdiad Baadran : Microbial infection and antibiotic resistance patterns among Jordanian intensive care patients. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2: No. 3, 515-520, 1996.
38. Abla Sayegh, Asem A. Shehabi and Hisham Hilow : Multifactorial modeling for caries prediction in Jordanian University Students. Community Dental Health,14: 97-101, 1997.
39. Asem A. Shehabi and Naheel Dajani : Distribution of yeast species in clinical specimens:Comparison of Chromoagar Candida medium with biochemical identification method. Dirasat of Jordan University, Medical and Biological Sciences, 25, 2,1998.
40. Asem A Shehabi, A..Mahafzah, I.Baadran, F.A.Qadar and N.Dajani, : High Incidence of Klebsiella pneumoniae Clinical Isolates to Extended-spectrum B-lactam drugs in Intensive Care Units. Diagnositic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 36: 53-56, 2000.
41. H.L.Daghistani, A.A.Issa and Asem A..Shehabi: Frequency of nasal and wound isolates of Staphylococcus aureus associated with TSST-1 production in Jordanian population. FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology, 27:95-98, 2000.
42. A.Mahafzah, Asem A.Shehabi: Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae at the Jordan University Hospital, Over an eighten-year period. Jordan Med. J, 34: No.2, 109-112, 2000.
43. Asem A. Shehabi, H.A. Abu-Ragheb, N.A. Allahahm : Prevalence Of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea among hospitalized Jordanian patients. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 7, 4/5, 750-755, 2001.
44. I. Sumrein, R. G. Hamzeh, Asem A. Shehabi. Recurrent non-typhoidal Salmonella urinary tract infection in a pregnant woman with preterm Labour Pain. Dirasat of the University Jordan, Medical and Biological Sciences, 28:1&2, 2001.
45. Asem A. Shehabi, K. Al-Assad, T.Yanis. Prevalence and antifungal susceptibility of Candida isolates from sputum culture of Jordanian patients. Journal For Health Sciences, Damascus University 18: 2, 114-122, 2002
( Published in Arabic Language).
46. N. S. Dar-Odeh1 and A. A. Shehabi : Oral Candidosis in patients with removable dentures. Mycoses 46:187-191, 2003
47. Z. Awad, A.AL-Amaratand, Asem A. Shehabi: Genital Chlamydial Infection in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Jordanian Patients. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 7: 206-9, 2003
48. Asem A Shehabi, N Khuri-Bulos, K.G.Hajjaj. Characterization of diarrhoeagenic Escherichiah coli isolates in Jordanian children. Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Disease 35: 368-371, 2003
49. Asem A. Shehabi, Azmi M. Mahafzah, Khalid Z. Al-khalili. Antimicrobal resistance and plasmid profiles of urinary Escherichia coli isolates from Jordanian patients. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 6: 3, 322-328, 2004
50. Asem A.Shehabi, W. Abu-Al-Soud, A. Mahafzah, M.Khuri-Bulos, I.Abu khader, IBN-Sina Ouis, W.Torkel. Investigation of Burkholderia cepacia Nosocomial Outbreak with High Fatality in Patients Suffering from Diseases other than Cystic Fibrosis. Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Disease 36:174-178, 2004
51. Loay Wady, Asem Shehabi, Bogumila Szponar, Christina Pehrson, Yezhou Sheng and Lennart Larsson . Heterogeneity in Microbial Exposure in Schools in Sweden, Poland and Jordan Revealed by Analysis of Chemical Markers . Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology, 14: 293-299, 2004
52. Al-Zu’bi E, Bdour S, Shehabi A Asem. Antibiotic resistance patterns of mecA-positive Staphylococcus aureus isolates from clinical specimens and nasal carriage. Microbial Drug Resistance, 10(4): v321-324, 2004
53. Asem A Shehabi, S.A Nazal, N Dajani. Putative Virulence Factors of Candida species colonizing respiratory tracts of patients. Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease, 16, 214-217,2004.
54. Asem A. Shehabi, Hussein Masoud and Fuad A. Balkam Maslamani.
Common Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern, Biotypes and Serotypes Found among Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Patient’s Stools and Drinking Water Sources in Jordan. Journal of Chemotherapy, 17 (2): 179-183, 2005
55. Nathir M. Obeidat, Luay F. Qatouseh and Asem A.Shehabi . A rare occurrence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection among Jordanian adults with respiratory tract infections. Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease, 17:216-218, 2005.
56. Randa Naffa, Salwa Bdour, Asem A Shehabi. Enterotoxicity and genetic variation among clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates. Journal of Medical Microbiology, 55: 183-187, 2006
56. Shehabi AA, Odeh JF Fayyad M. Characterization of antimicrobial resistance
and class 1 integrons found in Escherichia coli isolates from Jordanian Human
Stools and Drinking Water Sources. Journal of Chemotherapy, 18, 5: 468-472,
2006.
57. Bakri FG, Al-Hommos NA, Shehabi A, Naffa RG, Cui L, Hiramatsu K.
Persistent bacteriaemia due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin in a patients with erythrodermic psoriasis. Scand J Infect Dis.:39(5):457-60, 2007
58. Mariam Saleh Al- Khatib, Hala Khyami- Horani, Emman Badran, Asem A. Shehabi . Incidence and characterization of diarrheal enterotoxins of Bacillus cereus Isolates associated with diarrhea. Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious diseases, 59: 383-387, 2007
59. Eman F. Badran ; Jumana H. Al Baramki ; Abdulqader Al Shamyleh ; Asem
Shehabi ; Najwa Khuri-Bulos. Epidemiology and clinical outcome of candidaemia among Jordanian newborns over a 10-year period. Scand J Infect Dis., 59: 1-6, 2007
60. Najla Saeed Dar-Odeh, Osama Abdalla Abu-Hammad, Ameen Sameh Khraisat,
Mohamed Ali El Maaytah, Asem Shehabi. An Analysis of Therapeutic, Adult
Antibiotic Prescriptions Issued by Dental Practitioners in Jordan.
Chemotherapy, 54:17-22, 2008
61. Randa Salah, Najla Dar-Odeh, Asem A Shehabi . Incidence, virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance of Enterococcus faecalis isolates from patients with dental diseases. BMC Oral Health, 8:17doi:10.1186/1472-6831-8-17, 2008
62. Asem A Shehabi, Zaid Awwad, Muataz Al-Ramahi,Luay Abu-Qatouseh,
Ekaterina Charvalos. Diagnosis of Mycoplasma genitalium and Trichomonas
vaginalis in Jordanian patients attending university hospital. American Journal of Infectious Disease, 5 (1): 7-10, 2009.
63. Manar Deweik, Asem A Shehabi. Common Antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and genotypes of fecal Escherichia coli isolates from a single family over a six month period. Microbial Drug Resistance, 15: 2 , 103-107,2009 .
64. Halasa, N, Shehabi AA., khuri N, et al. Human Rhinovirus C Associated with
Wheezing in Hospitalized Children in the Middle East. Journal of Clinical Virology,
46(1):85-9, 2009.
65. Bakri FG, Al-Bsoul NM, Magableh AY, Shehabi AA, Tarawneh M, Al-Hadidy AM,
Abu-Fara MA, Awidi AS. Brucellosis presenting as myelofibrosis: First case report.
Int J Infect Dis. 2009 June, 4.
66. Lina M. Nasereddin, Fares Al-Bakri, Asem A. Shehabi. Clostridium difficile infections
among Jordanian adult hospitalized patients. American J of Infection Control 2009;
10: 864-866.
67. Ali SA, Williams JV, Chen Q, Faori S, Shehabi AA, Jundi EA, Khuri-Bulos N,
Halasa N. Human metapneumovirus in hospitalized children in Amman, Jordan.
J Med Virol. 2010 May;82(6):1012-6.
68. Khuri-Bulos N, Williams JV, Shehabi AA, Faouri S, Al Jundi E, Abushariah O, Chen Q, Ali SA, Vermund S, Halasa NB. Burden of respiratory syncytial virus in hospitalized infants and young children in Amman, Jordan. Scand J Infect Dis. 2010 May;42(5):368-74.
69. R.N. Haddadin, S.A. Saleh, R.A. Mahmoud, A.A. Shehabi. Multiple drug resistance and strength of attachment to surfaces in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates Published Online: Letters in Applied Microbiology, 2010 Jul;51(1):48-53
70. Dar-Odeh NS, Abu-Hammad OA, Al-Omiri MK, Khraisat AS, Shehabi AA.
Antibiotic prescribing practices by dentists: A review. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2010 Jul 21;6:301-6.
71. Najla Dar-Odeh1, Asem Shehabi et al. Oral Candida colonization in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances: The importance of some nutritional and salivary factors. African journal of microbiology research Vol. 5(15), pp. 2150-2154, 4 August, 2011.
72. Shireen Y Issa, Eman F Badran, Kamal F Aqel and Asem A Shehabi. Epidemiological characteristics of Candida species colonizing oral and rectal sites of Jordanian infants. BMC Pediatrics 2011, 11:79.
73. Asem A. Shehabi*, Ahmed. A. Haider, Manar K. Fayyad.
Frequency of antimicrobial resistance markers among Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli isolates from municipal sewage effluent water and patients in Jordan. THE international Arabic journal of antimicrobial agents 2011, Vol. 1 No. 1:1
