Specialisation: Microbiology, Immunology, Recombinant DNA Technology, Animal Tissue Culture, Microbial Ecology and pathogenesis

Academic qualifications:

• Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur Math, University of Calcutta : B. Sc. [Chemistry (H)]
• University of Calcutta : M. Sc. [Biochemistry]
• University of Calcutta : Ph. D. [Biochemistry]

Research interests:

• Pathogenesis of enteric bacteria. Our laboratory is involved on isolation and characterization of enteropathogens from environmental samples, to elucidate the ecology and public health significance of these enteropathogens in the aquatic environment. Monitoring existing environmental strains and undertaking detailed studies of how pathogenic strains evolved from them is essential to our understanding of human disease. Our present focus is on the mechanism of pathogenesis of some enteric bacteria.
• Antimicrobial and anticancer activity. Emergence of resistance to multiple drugs is a serious clinical problem in the treatment and containment of the disease. Natural product drug discovery remains a significant hope to solve that problem. Our research interest is on isolation, purification and characterization of antimicrobial and anticancer activity from medicinal plants and synthesized nanoparticles.
• Molecular principles of species interaction in the rhizosphere of a leguminous plant: Biochemical and Metagenomic approaches. Our laboratory is involved on determination of the microbial community composition (culturable/unculturable) within and outside the rhizosphere of an oil seed legume (Arachis hypogaea) on the basis of variations in lipase/esterase specific genomic loci with a view to understand effect of plant-microbe interaction in the respective soil ecosystem. Also the application potential of the identified industrial enzymes would be evaluated.

Select list of publications:

Journals

1. P. K. Bag, Nivedita Roy, Saurabh Acharyya, Dhira R. Saha, Hemanta Koley, Prodipta Sarkar, and Poulami Bhowmik. 2019. In vivo fluid accumulation-inhibitory, anticolonization and anti-inflammatory and in vitro biofilm-inhibitory activities of methyl gallate isolated from Terminalia chebula against fluoroquinolones resistant Vibrio cholerae. Microbial Pathogenesis (Elsevier), 128(2019) 41-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2018.12.037
2. Debjyoti Paul, A.Sengupta, K. Manna, S. Mukherjee, S. Dey, P. K. Bag & P. Dhar. 2019. A novel nanoformulation of -eleostearic acid restores molecular pathogenesis of Hypersensitivity. Nanomedicine, 14(5): 529-552. DOI: 10.2217/nnm-2018-0450
3. Tebou PLF, Tamokou JDD, Ngnokama D, Voutquenne-Nazabadioko L, Kuiate JR, Bag PK. 2017. Flavonoids from Maytenus buchananii as potential cholera chemotherapeutic agents. South African Journal of Botany (Elsevier). 2017 March; 109:5865.
4. Simplice Joel Ndendoung Tatsimo, Jean-de-Dieu Tamokou, Virginie Tankeu Tsague, Marc Lamshoft, Prodipta Sarkar, Prasanta Kumar Bag, Michael Spiteller. 2017. Antibacterialguided isolation of constituents from Senna alata leaves with a particular reference against Multi-Drug-Resistant Vibrio cholerae and Shigella flexneri. International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, 11(1): 46-53 [ISSN 1997-342X (Online), ISSN 1991- 8631 (Print)]

Books/ book chapters:

1. Bag, P. K. 2013. Current perspectives on pathogenesis of Aeromonas. In: Infections of Gastrointestinal System, Ed. Chetana Vaishnavi, Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd.Page:307-320. ISBN: 978-93-5090352-0.
2. Bag, P. K. 2013. Global Climate Variability and Change: Potential Impacts on Infectious Diseases. In: Climate security perceptions, challenges and beyond. Eds. A. Mukhpadhayay and S. Ghosh. UGC Academic Staff College, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India, pp: 246-259.
3. Bag, P. K. 2011. Current Perspectives on the Pathogenesis of Vibrio cholerae Non-O1, Non-O139. In: Cholera: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment. Ed. Evelyn L. Melbourne. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., NY, USA pp.1-31. [Hard copy, ISBN: 978-1-61761-789-8. ebook, ISBN: 978-1- 61122-151-0].