Dr. Arun K. Bhunia
Professor
B.V.Sc. (Veterinary Medicine), West Bengal University of Fishery and Animal Sciences (Formerly, BCKV) W.B., India.
Ph.D. (Food Microbiology), University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
Postdoctoral Training (Food Microbiology, Immunology), University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
Research
- Development and application of optical biosensors including light scattering sensor, fiber optic, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and cell-based sensor for pathogen and toxin detection.
- Production of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, antigen selection strategies, and development of immunoassays and nucleic acid based molecular assays for pathogen detection.
- Mammalian cell culture based cytotoxicity assay for foodborne pathogens
- Investigation on the effect of environmental, growth media or food related stress on antigen expression and their impact on pathogen detection.
Pathogenic Mechanism of Enteric Pathogens:
- Understanding the molecular mechanism of Listeria monocytogenes interaction with intestinal epithelial cells during intestinal phase of infection in cell culture and animal models.
- Strategies to prevent or eliminate enteric pathogen colonization in the gastrointestinal tract.
Teaching
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Graduate
Microbial Foodborne Pathogens (FS 565; 3 credit hours)
Microbial Techniques for Food Pathogen (FS 566 2 Credit hours)
Gut Microbiology Journal club (FS 690C 1 credit hour)
Selected Publications
Foodborne Microbial Pathogens: Mechanisms and Pathogenesis, A.K. Bhunia, 1st Edition (Dec 2007), Springer, New York. (Text Book).
Fundamental Food Microbiology, Bibek Ray and Arun Bhunia, 4th Edition (2007). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. (Text Book)
Akin, D., J. Sturgis, K. Ragheb, D. Sherman, K. Burkholder, J.P. Robinson, A.K. Bhunia, S. Mohammed, and R. Bashir. 2007. Bacteria-mediated delivery of nanoparticles into cells. Nature Nanotechnology. 2:441-449.
Banada, P.P., S. Guo, B. Bayraktar, E. Bae, B. Rajwa, J. P. Robinson, E.D. Hirleman, and A.K. Bhunia. 2007. Optical forward scattering for detection of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species. Biosensors and Bioelectronics 22:1664-1671.
Banerjee, P., M.T. Morgan, J.L. Rickus, K. Ragheb, C. Corvalan, J. P. Robinson, and A.K. Bhunia. 2007. Hybridoma Ped-2E9 cells cultured under modified conditions can sensitively detect Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 73:1423-1434.
Kim, K.-P., B. Jagadeesan, K. Burkholder, Z.W. Jaradat, J.L. Wampler, A.A. Lathrop, M.T. Morgan, and A.K. Bhunia. 2006. Adhesion characteristics of Listeria adhesion protein (LAP) – expressing Escherichia coli to Caco-2 cells and of recombinant LAP to eukaryotic receptor Hsp60 as examined in a surface plasmon resonance sensor. FEMS Microbiology Letters 256:324-332.
Maldonado, Y., J. Fiser, C. H. Nakatsu, and A.K. Bhunia. 2005. Cytotoxicity potential and genotypic characterization of Escherichia coli isolates from environmental and food sources. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 71:1890-1898.
Gray, K. M., P. P. Banada, E. O’Neal, and A. K. Bhunia. 2005. Rapid Ped-2E9 cell-based cytotoxicity analysis and genotyping of Bacillus species. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 43: 5865-5872.
Wampler, J.L., K-P. Kim, Z.W. Jaradat, and A.K. Bhunia. 2004. Heat-shock protein 60 acts as a receptor for the Listeria adhesion protein in Caco-2 cells. Infection and Immunity 72(2): 931-936.
Geng, T., M.T. Morgan, and A.K. Bhunia. 2004. Detection of low levels of Listeria monocytogenes cells by using a fiber-optic immunosensor. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 70:6138-6146.
Contact Dr. Bhunia
e-mail: bhunia@purdue.edu
Address:
Department of Food Science
745 Agriculture Mall Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2009 Phone: (765) 494-5443