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KVASU Scientist bags ICAR- Jawaharlal Nehru Award for P.G. Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Agricultural and Allied Sciences- 2019.

KVASU scientist, Dr. Jess Vergis, Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Public Health, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookode was awarded prestigious ICAR- Jawaharlal Nehru Award for P.G. Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Agricultural and Allied Sciences- 2019. This is for the first time, a KVASU scientist is being awarded with ICAR- Jawaharlal Nehru Award for P.G. Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research.

The award was declared on the occasion of 92nd foundation day of Indian Council of Agricultural Research which was graced by Shri. Narendra Singh Tomar, Hon’ble Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister and Hon’ble Ministers of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri. Parshottam Rupala and Shri. Kailash Choudhary.

The research work entitled ‘Efficacy of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) against multi-drug resistant enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (MDR-EAEC)’ was carried out under the guidance of Dr. S.V.S. Malik, Principal Scientist and Head, Division of Veterinary Public Health at ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) at Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh. The present study undertook the efficacy of cationic synthetic peptides as alternatives for antibiotics. The findings of this study suggested that the AMPs tested had both antimicrobial as well as antibiofilm efficacy either equal to or even better than the antibiotics tested as well as exhibit prominent immunomodulatory effect. The research has opened new avenues to investigate novel solutions against the growing menace of AMR. The research work was financially supported by grants received from CAAST-ACLH (NAHEP/CAAST/2018-19) of ICAR-World Bank-funded National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP) granted to Dr. Deepak B. Rawool, Senior Scientist, Division of Veterinary Public Health at ICAR-IVRI at Izatnagar.

The research work of the scientist is further being extended through the research project sanctioned by ICAR- National Agricultural Science Fund to with ICAR- National Research Centre on Meat at Hyderabad as lead centre and Nagpur Veterinary College and KVASU as collaborating centres.