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DBSP Faculty

Nammalwar Sriranganathan

Nammalwar Sriranganathan, BVSc, MVSc, PhD, Diplomate, ACVM

Professor
Bacteriology
Department of Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology

e-mail: nathans@vt.edu
Capsule Biography (PDF)


Education

1976 ECFVG, American Veterinary Medical Association
Licensed to practice veterinary medicine & surgery in the states of Washington & Oregon
1974 Ph.D., Molecular Biology
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
1968 M.V.Sc., Veterinary Microbiology
University of Agricultral Sciences, Bangalore, India
1966 B.V.Sc., Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
University of Agriculture Sciences, Bangalore, India

Board Certification

1978 Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Microbiologists

Research Interests

  • Targeted drug delivery for intracellular pathogens - In the last few decades, the emergence of drug resistant strains of Salmonella sp., Brucella sp., Mycobacterium sp., etc. representing intracellular bacterial pathogens is manifesting into a global health problem thereby raising new pharmaceutical challenges and necessitating the development of an efficient and cost effective novel agent. My laboratory is aiming to achieve site specific targeted drug delivery with increased bioavailability of antimicrobials/drugs using nanoparticles as carriers. Our ultimate goal is to design and develop novel nanoparticle based drugs by incorporating biological, engineering and chemical manufacturing principles for therapeutic application of chronic infectious diseases i.e., tuberculosis, brucellosis and salmonellosis. In addition, I also believe that development of nanoparticle based targeted drug delivery system may provide new therapeutic opportunities for the use of vast array of unstable, toxic, and insoluble antimicrobials (sitting on the shelves of drug companies), with minimum or no deleterious side effects.
  • Development of vaccines against bioterrorism agents - My main interests are in understanding the host-parasite relationships, pathogenesis, virulence and their applications in vaccine development. At present my research focuses mainly on Brucella. My research effort is geared towards generation and testing of recombinant B. abortus RB51 vaccines against Anthrax, Tuberculosis, Paratuberculosis, Rift Valley Fever and Neosporosis.Microarray development to study host/pathogen interactions.
  • Bacteriophage based remediation of food borne Salmonella in poultry - In the last six years, I initiated research to investigate the potential of phages as remedial agents in poultry. The entire chromosomal sequence (86.165kb) of one broad host range Salmonella species-specific phage called Felix 01has been determined. This was done to explore using such long-term surviving phages as therapeutic and or bioremedial agent against drug resistant Salmonella. Exploring bioremediation processes to treat regulated medical waste.
  • Enterotoxigenic E. coli - My early efforts were focused on the isolation, purification and characterization of Heat-Stable Enterotoxin (STa). We were the first to show that bovine enterotoxigenic E.coli (ETEC) produced an 18 amino acid peptide. We also demonstrated by amino acid sequencing that bovine STa was similar, if not identical, to an 18-19 amino-acid peptide produced by human ETEC.
  • Molecular Immunology - Characterization and quantitation of cytokine mRNA expression in lymphocytes from mice.
  • Vaccines & aging - effect of aging on immune response

Professional Experience

2003-present Professor
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
1990-2003 Associate Professor
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
1984-1990 Assistant Professor
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
1979-1984 Assistant Professor
Washington State University, Pullman, WA
1976-1978 Postdoctoral/Research Associate
USDA, WA
1974-1975 Intern, Veterinary Clinic
Centralia, WA
1968-1970 Veterinary Surgeon, Civil Veterinary Hospital
Instructor, UAS, Bangalore, India

Professional Memberships

  • American Society for Microbiology (1973-present)
  • American College of Veterinary Microbiologists (1978-present)
  • American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (1979-present)
  • Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (1982-present)

Selected Publications

View a comprehensive listing of Dr. Sriranganathan's publications (PDF) or browse the selected publications below.

  1. Seleem MN, Boyle SM, Sriranganathan N. Brucella: A pathogen without classic virulence genes. Vet Microbiol. 2007 Nov 29.
  2. High KP, Prasad R, Marion CR, Schurig GG, Boyle SM, Sriranganathan N. Outcome and immune responses after Brucella abortus infection in young adult and aged mice.Biogerontology. 2007 Oct;8(5):583-93.
  3. Ramamoorthy S, Sanakkayala N, Vemulapalli R, Jain N, Lindsay DS, Schurig GS, Boyle SM, Sriranganathan N. Prevention of vertical transmission of Neospora caninum in C57BL/6 mice vaccinated with Brucella abortus strain RB51 expressing N. caninum protective antigens. Int J Parasitol. 2007 Nov;37(13):1531-8
  4. Contreras-Rodriguez A, Seleem MN, Schurig GG, Sriranganathan N, Boyle SM, Lopez-Merino A. Cloning, expression and characterization of immunogenic aminopeptidase N from Brucella melitensis. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2006 Nov;48(2):252-6.
  5. Seleem MN, Ali M, Boyle SM, Mukhopadhyay B, Witonsky SG, Schurig GG, Sriranganathan N. Establishment of a gene expression system in Ochrobactrum anthropi. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2006 Oct;72(10):6833-6.
  6. Honko AN, Sriranganathan N, Lees CJ, Mizel SB. Flagellin is an effective adjuvant for immunization against lethal respiratory challenge with Yersinia pestis. Infect Immun. 2006 Feb;74(2):1113-20.
  7. Vemulapalli TH, Vemulapalli R, Schurig GG, Boyle SM, Sriranganathan N. Role in virulence of a Brucella abortus protein exhibiting lectin-like activity. Infect Immun. 2006 Jan;74(1):183-91.
  8. Bandara AB, Sriranganathan N, Schurig GG, Boyle SM. Carboxyl-terminal protease regulates Brucella suis morphology in culture and persistence in macrophages and mice. J Bacteriol. 2005 Aug;187(16):5767-75.
  9. Whichard JM, Sriranganathan N, Pierson FW. Suppression of Salmonella growth by wild-type and large-plaque variants of bacteriophage Felix O1 in liquid culture and on chicken frankfurters. J Food Prot. 2003 Feb;66(2):220-5.
  10. Schurig GG, Sriranganathan N, Corbel MJ. Brucellosis vaccines: past, present and future. Vet Microbiol. 2002 Dec 20;90(1-4):479-96. Review.
  11. Zhi-Jun Y, Sriranganathan N, Vaught T, Arastu SK, Ahmed SA. A dye-based lymphocyte proliferation assay that permits multiple immunological analyses: mRNA, cytogenetic, apoptosis, and immunophenotyping studies. J Immunol Methods. 1997 Dec 15;210(1):25-39.
  12. Schurig GG, Roop RM 2nd, Bagchi T, Boyle S, Buhrman D, Sriranganathan N. Biological properties of RB51; a stable rough strain of Brucella abortus. Vet Microbiol. 1991 Jul;28(2):171-88.
  13. Sriranganathan N, Boyle SM, Schurig G, Misra H. Superoxide dismutases of virulent and avirulent strains of Brucella abortus. Vet Microbiol. 1991 Feb 15;26(4):359-66.
  14. Sriranganathan N, Burger D. Heat-stable (STa) enterotoxin of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli: binding of the enterotoxin to coagulated milk and casein.Vet Microbiol. 1987 Feb;13(2):167-78.
  15. Sriranganathan N, Seidler RJ, Sandine WE, Elliker PR. Cytological and deoxyribonucleic acid-deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization studies on lactobacillus isolates from San Francisco sourdough. Appl Microbiol. 1973 Mar;25(3):461-70.