Kakambi V. Nagaraja

e-mail: nagar001@umn.edu
 

Research Interests
Dr. Nagaraja's laboratory performs studies involving food safety, Salmonellosis, and bacterial and viral diseases of poultry. Current research focuses on the development of new vaccines, diagnostic tools for avian diseases and studies related to host parasite relationships. His laboratory has demonstrated the immunosuppressive properties of adenoviruses and has developed specific tests for the diagnosis of Salmonella enteritidis infection. Studies in his laboratory on epidemiology of avian pneumovirus (APV) infection in turkeys have identified wild birds as one of the sources of APV to domestic turkeys. He has shown that Avian pneumovirus RNA from wild and sentinel birds in the United States has genetic homology with RNA from APV isolates from domestic turkeys. He demonstrated Human  Metapneumovirus infection in turkeys.  His lab also works on Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale. Many of the findings from his laboratory have been put into practice in the poultry industry.

Selected Publications
(For a comprehensive list of  Dr. Nagaraja's recent publications, refer to PubMed, a service provided by the National Library of Medicine.)

Current Funding
"Bioecology, Epidemiology and Characterization of Avian Pneumovirus," Minnesota Turkey Research and Promotion Council and Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.

"Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale Infection in Turkeys," Minnesota Turkey Research and Promotion Council and Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.

"Control of Viral Respiratory Diseases in Turkeys," Minnesota Turkey Research and Promotion Council and Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.

"Pathogenesis of APV Infection in Turkeys," Minnesota Turkey Research and Promotion Council and Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.

"Molecular Characterization and Antigen Variation of APV," Minnesota Turkey Research and Promotion Council and Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.

Honors and Awards
Patent granted for live vaccine against Colibacillosis. June 20, 2000. Patent # 6,077,516, USA Patent and Trademark Office.

Received Patent (#6, 495,334 for Inventor of Recombinant SEF 14 Fimbrial Protein from Salmonella from the USA Patent and Trademark Office, December 17, 2002

Recieved. Patent  in 2005 on “Use of Goose Isolate of APV for use as a Vaccine strain for APV infection in turkeys”