My research interest include studies on animal chlamydial infections, host pathogen interaction, virulence studies and molecular modeling.


TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY:

  • Chlamydiology: In dealing with various types of chlamydiae involved in animals, avian and human infections. It includes diagnosis from clinical cases with molecular (simple, nested PCR & real time PCR) and conventional techniques. Isolations in cell cultures, embryonated chicken eggs and identifications and serological diagnosis by microimmunofluorescence, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, immunoperoxidase test and CFT etc. Analysis of genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships by sequencing and data analysis. Pathogenicity trials using laboratory animals. Purification, quantification of EBs and proteomics studies.
  • Molecular biology: Conducting molecular epidemiological investigations, genetics characterization of the infectious microorganisms. Molecular diagnosis using PCR, RT-PCR, Cytokine estimations, radioimmunoassay, molecular cloning and proteomic studies using SDS-PAGE, immunoblotting and in-vitro protein expression etc.
  • Bioinformatics: Multiple alignments of nucleotide and amino acid sequences, making contings, motif identification, constructing percentage identity matrices, analysis for recombinations and mutations and phylogenetic analysis using Clustal-X, Genetyx, Phylip, TOPALi, Homology protein modeling using Modeller, Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using NAMD and Docking with autodock etc.
  • Zoonotic pathogen: Having skills to handle zoonotic pathogens and their diagnosis, which includes: Chlamydiae, Rickettsiae and Brucellae.
  • Basic Microbiology: Includes sampling from diseased animals, isolations of bacteria, viruses and fungi, their identification and drug sensitivity in the course of the disease investigation of pet, farm and wild animals.

RESEARCH PROJECTS HANDLED OR IN OPERATION

Completed:

  1. Co-operative Centre Principal Investigator (CCPI) of the mission Mode Project on “Weather Based Animal Disease Forecasts”-National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) by ICAR.
  2. Co-associated with the project entitled “Epidemiology and Immunodiagnosis of Chlamydia psittaci infection in sheep and goats” funded by USDA-ICAR.
  3. Co-Principal Investigator (CoPI) of project entitled “Development of PCR based assay for Molecular diagnosis of Chlamydia psittaci” -by DBT.
  4. Co-Principal Investigator (CoPI) of project entitled “in-vitro and in-vivo investigations on antimicrobial properties of seabuckthorn (Hippophae L.) oil formulations and leaf extract against common bacteria and fungi associated with skin and wound infections of animals”- NAIP-ICAR.
  5. Co-Principal Investigator (CoPI) of project entitled “Utilization of seabuckthorn byproducts for the development of poultry neutraceuticals”- by DBT.
  6. Co-Principal Investigator of project entitled “Immunological & Immunogenetic Profiling of indigenous hilly (Pahari) cattle for their disease resistance potential” by RKVY.


In operation:

  1. Co-Principal Investigator (CoPI) of project entitled “All India Network Programme on Haemorrhagic Septicaemia” -by ICAR.

  2. Principal Investigator (PI) of project entitled “Studies on genetic diversity of Chlamydophila abortus and Chlamydophila pecorum species infecting domestic animals (ruminants) and development of recombinant proteins based species-specific immunodiagnostic assays” by DBT.