Dr. Sanjay Kumar, born in 1967, graduated from Haryana Agricultural University,
Hisar in Veterinary Sciences in 1991. He later acquired Master's and Ph.
D. degrees in Veterinary Medicine from the same university in 1993 and 1997
respectively. He then joined National Research Centre on equines, Hisar
as Scientist in 1997.
During his educational and research career, he was awarded
Professional Research Achievements
Standardised sero-diagnostic tests for Babesia equi infetion
like Dot-ELISA, Single Dilution ELISA, Serial dilution ELISA, CF test etc.
and tested their sensitivity and specificity. The adverse effects which
B. equi organism and its metabolites inflict on red blood cells was
studied. A significant increase in phospholipid and MDA levels were observed
which indicated that biostructure of the erythrocytes was altered leading
to oxidative stress and anaemia. Infectivity of Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum
ticks fed on B. equi infected donkeys at different parasitaemia was
assessed. This study indicated that male Hyalomma a. anatolicum ticks are
more potent than female tick for transmission of the parasite to the natural
host. A killed B. equi immunogen was prepared containing lysate of
about 2x1010 parasitised erythrocytes mixed with adjuvant Quil A (3 mg/dose).
The studies indicated that vaccine prepared is very potent and can protect
the challenged animals, this opened a new way towards the immunoprophylactic
control of B. equi infection. Humoral and cell mediated immune responses
were monitored in immunised and control donkeys. Further, B. equi
antigens were fractionated by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotted with high titred
post-immunised and post-challenged sera so as to identify the immunodominant
polypeptides. Four polypeptides with Mr 112, 45, 33, 28 and 18 kDa were
found to be strongly immunoreactive polypeptides in B. equi immunised
donkeys. The therapeutic efficacy of different drugs namely imidocarb, artesunate,
arteether, buparvaquone and arteether+buparvaquone combination was evaluated
against Babesia equi (Indian origin) infection in splenectomised
donkeys with experimentally induced acute infection. This limited study
has indicated that arteether+buparvaquone combination could be a better
choice than imidocarb for treating B. equi infection, but further
some more trials are required.
Present Research Interest
EMA 1 (34 kDa protein) and EMA 2 (30 kDa protein) have been identified
as major surface protein of B. equi. Recombinant antigens of EMA
1 and EMA 2 have been widely used by many researchers for specific diagnosis
of the organism in equine population. But still it is not clear which developmental
stage of the merozoite expresses EMA 1 and EMA 2 and also allelic localization
of genes on the chromosomes. Rhoptries proteins are thought to participate
in host-cell recognition and thereby enhances invasion of the parasite into
the host red blood cell. Information on the rhoptry protein of B. equi
is still lacking and is another priority area of research for development
of a suitable vaccine. So now the interest research area in mainly concentrated
on chromosomal localization of EMA 1 and EMA 2 gene and identification of
rhoptry proteins related with Babesia equi.
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Epidemiological studies on emerging and existing diseases
of equines
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Chemotherapeutic
and diagnostic studies on Trypanosomiasis and Babesiosis in equines
Sub Projects:
a. Development of diagnostic tests for equine trypanosomosis (Surra)
b. Development
of sensitive and specific diagnostic tests for detection of equine
piroplasmosis
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Development of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG)
based ELISA based test for pregnancy diagnosis in equines
