Portretfoto Natasha Yefimenko

Rana Jajou

Epidemiologist

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Social: linkedin logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Background

Rana Jajou holds a MSc (2013) in Health Sciences, with specialisation in Infectious Diseases and Public Health. She did her PhD at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and in 2019 she defended her thesis entitled “Whole genome sequencing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex for species identification, drug susceptibility testing, and epidemiological typing”. Her research studies led to the implementation of Whole Genome Sequencing at the RIVM tuberculosis reference laboratory as the new tool for routine tuberculosis diagnostics and surveillance. During her career as an Epidemiologist and Project Leader, Rana’s research focus has mainly been in the field of pharmacovigilance (RWD studies) and Infectious Diseases. Rana is currently working as an Epidemiologist within the DARWIN EU® project at Erasmus MC.

International publications:

  • Raethke M, Gorter J, Kalf R, van Balveren L, Jajou R, van Hunsel F. Frequency, Timing, Burden and Recurrence of Adverse Events Following Immunization After HPV Vaccine Based on a Cohort Event Monitoring Study in the Netherlands. Vaccines. 2025;13(8):812. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13080812
  • Jajou R, Mulder E, Overbeek J, Veldkamp R, van Hunsel F, van Puijenbroek E, Kant A. COVID-19 vaccination and general practitioner contact for postmenopausal bleeding - cohort study from the Netherlands. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2025;1-11. doi: 10.1002/bcp.70045.
  • Jajou R, Lieber T, Mulder E, Overbeek J, Hek K, van Hunsel F, van Puijenbroek E, Kant A. GP consultations for menstrual disorders after COVID-19 vaccination - A self-controlled cohort study based on routine healthcare data from the Netherlands. Vaccine. 2024;42(25):126130. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.07.031.
  • Smaardijk VR, Jajou R, Kant A, van Hunsel F. Menstrual disorders following COVID-19 vaccination: a review using a systematic search. Front Drug Saf Regul. 2024;4:1338466. org/10.3389/fdsfr.2024.1338466
  • Duijster JW, Schoep ME, Nieboer TE, Jajou R, Kant A, van Hunsel F. Menstrual abnormalities after COVID-19 vaccination in the Netherlands: A description of spontaneous and longitudinal patient-reported data. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2023;89(10):3126-38. doi: 10.1111/bcp.15799.
  • Jajou R, Mutsaers-van Oudheusden A, Verweij J, Rietveld A, Murk JL. SARS-CoV-2 transmitters have more than three times higher viral loads than non-transmitters – practical use of viral load for disease control. J Clin Virol. 2022;150-151:105131. doi: 10.1016/j.jcv.2022.105131.
  • Martínez-Lirola M, Jajou R, Mathys V, Martin A, Cabibbe AM, Valera A, Sola-Campoy PJ, Abascal E, Rodríguez-Maus S, Garrido-Cárdenas JA, Bonillo M, Chiner-Oms Á, López B, Vallejo-Godoy S, Comas I, Muñoz P, Cirillo DM, van Soolingen D, Pérez-Lago L, García de Viedma D. Integrative transnational analysis to dissect tuberculosis transmission events along the migratory route from Africa to Europe. T Travel Med. 2021;8(4): doi: 10.1093/jtm/taab054.
  • Jajou R, Kohl TA, Walker T, Norman A, Cirillo DM, Tagliani E, Niemann S, de Neeling A, Lillebaek T, Anthony RM, van Soolingen D. Towards standardisation: comparison of five whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis pipelines for detection of epidemiologically linked tuberculosis cases. Eurosurveillance. 2019;24(50): doi: 10.2807/1560- 7917.es.2019.24.50.1900130.
  • Jajou R, van der Laan T, de Zwaan R, Kamst M, Mulder A, de Neeling A, Anthony R, van Soolingen D. WGS more accurately predicts susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to first-line drugs than phenotypic testing. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2019;74(9):2605-16. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkz215.
  • Lipworth S, Jajou R, de Neeling A, Bradley P, van der Hoek W, Maphalala G, Bonnet M, Sanchez-Padilla E, Diel R, Niemann S, Iqbal Z, Smith G, Peto T, Crook D, Walker T, van Soolingen D. SNP-IT tool for identifying subspecies and associated lineages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Emerg Infect Dis. 2019;25(3):482-88. doi: 10.3201/eid2503.180894.
  • Roof I, Jajou R, Kamst M, Mulder A, de Neeling A, van Hunen R, van der Hoek W, van Soolingen D. Prevalence and characterization of heterogeneous Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat clusters comprising drug-susceptible and/or variable resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates in the Netherlands from 2004 to 2016. J Clin Microbiol. 2018:56(11):e00887-18. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00887-18.
  • Jajou R, de Neeling A, van Hunen R, de Vries G, Schimmel H, Mulder A, Anthony R, van der Hoek W, van Soolingen D. Epidemiological links between tuberculosis cases identified twice as efficiently by whole genome sequencing than conventional molecular typing: A population-based study. PLoS One. 2018:13(4):e0195413. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195413.
  • Jajou R, de Neeling A, Rasmussen EM, Norman A, Mulder A, van Hunen R, de Vries G, Haddad W, Anthony R, Lillebaek T, van der Hoek W, van Soolingen D. A predominant Variable-Number Tandem- Repeat cluster of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates among asylum seekers in the Netherlands and Denmark, deciphered by whole-genome sequencing. J Clin Microbiol. 2018:56(2):e01100-17. doi: 10.1128/JCM.01100-17.
  • Jajou R, Kamst M, van Hunen R, de Zwaan CC, Mulder A, Supply P, Anthony R, van der Hoek W, van Soolingen D. Occurrence and nature of double alleles in Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat patterns of more than 8,000 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates in The Netherlands. J Clin Microbiol. 2018:56(2):e00761-17. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00761-17.
  • van Soolingen D, Jajou R, Mulder A, de Neeling H. Whole genome sequencing as the ultimate tool to diagnose tuberculosis. Int J Mycobacteriol. 2016;5:S60-S61. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmyco.2016.10.036.
  • van Werkhoven CH, van der Tempel J, Jajou R, Thijsen SF, Diepersloot RJ, Bonten MJ, Postma DF, Oosterheert JJ. Identification of patients at high- risk for Clostridium difficile infection. Development and validation of a risk prediction model in hospitalized patients treated with antibiotics. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2015;21(8):786.e1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2015.04.005.
  • Jajou R, Wielders CCH, Leclercq M, van Leuken J, Shamelian S, Renders N, van der Hoek W, Schneeberger P. Persistent high antibody titres against Coxiella burnetii after acute Q fever not explained by continued exposure to the source of infection: a case-control study. BMC Infect Dis. 2014;14:629. doi: 10.1186/s12879-014- 0629-6.

National (Dutch) publications:

  • Rana Jajou, Dick van Soolingen. Whole genome sequencing van Mycobacterium tuberculosis: de ultieme tool voor identificatie, gevoeligheidsbepaling en epidemiologische typering? Infectieziekten Bulletin. 2019;30(6).
  • Dick van Soolingen, Tridia van der Laan, Rina de Zwaan, Miranda Kamst, Arnout Mulder, Han de Neeling, Richard Anthony, Rana Jajou. Whole Genome Sequencing van Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolaten. Ned Tijdschr Med Microbiol. 2019;27(3):174-79.
  • Dick van Soolingen, Rana Jajou, Gerard de Vries. Voortgang RIVM-onderzoek ‘Whole Genome Sequencing’ van M. tuberculosis. Nieuwe tbc-laboratoriumdiagnostiek in aantocht. Tegen de tuberculose. 2018:114(1).

Reports: