Katja Mertens-Scholz

Dr. Katja Mertens-Scholz serves as Head of the Rickettsiology Working Group at the Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses (IBIZ), part of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute in Jena, Germany. Her research focuses on pathogenic bacteria transmitted through arthropod vectors and zoonotic disease mechanisms.

Her primary research domains include:

• Rickettsial pathogens and associated diseases
• Tick-borne infection epidemiology
• Q fever diagnostics and surveillance
• Zoonotic bacterial transmission dynamics
• Reference laboratory methodologies for bacterial infections

As a Dr. rer. nat. (Doctorate in Natural Sciences) and Dipl.-Biol. (Graduate Biologist), she contributes to the National Reference Laboratories for Q Fever and Tick-borne Diseases. Her work bridges veterinary and public health research through the FLI's mission to combat animal-to-human disease transmission.