PULSe Home > Faculty Members A-C > Arun Bhunia

Professor of Molecular Food Microbiology B.V.Sc (Veterinary Medicine), W.B. India; Ph.D. (Food Microbiology), University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY; Postdoctoral training, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR. Contact Info: bhunia@purdue.edu 765-494-5443 Training Group(s): Microbiology

Current Research Interests:

PATHOGENESIS and PATHOGENICITY TESTING

1. Understanding the molecular mechanism of Listeria monocytogenes adhesion and invasion during intestinal phase of infection.

2. Strategies to prevent or eliminate enteric pathogen colonization in the gastrointestinal tract.

3. Mammalian cell culture based cytotoxicity assay for foodborne pathogens

PATHOGEN DETECTION

1. Development of optical biosensors including light scattering, fiber optic, surface plasmon resonance and cell-based sensors for pathogen detection

2. Antibody production and development of immunoassays for pathogens

3. Investigation on the effect of environmental factors and growth media on antigen expression and antibody based detetcion of pathogens.

Selected Publications:

BOOKS

Foodborne Microbial Pathogens: Mechanisms and Pathogenesis, A.K. Bhunia, 1st Edition (Dec 2007), Springer, New York.

Fundamental Food Microbiology, Bibek Ray and Arun Bhunia, 4th Edition (2007).CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

Foodborne Pathogens: Microbiology and Molecular Biology, 2005. Editors: P. M. Fratamico, A.K. Bhunia and J.L. Smith, Caister Academic Press, Ltd., Norfolk, UK.

PATHOGENESIS

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. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2:441-449.

Kim, K.P., B.K. Hahm, and A.K. Bhunia. 2007. The 2-cys peroxiredoxin deficient Listeria monocytogenes displays impaired growth and survival in the presence of hydrogen peroxide in vitro but not in mouse organs. Curr. Microbiol. 54:382-387.

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 Microbiol. Lett. 256:324-332.

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. Infect. Immun. 72:931-936

Jaradat, Z.W., J. L. Wampler, and A.K. Bhunia. 2003. A Listeria adhesion protein-deficient Listeria monocytogenes strain shows reduced adhesion primarily to intestinal cell lines. Med. Microbiol. Immunol. 192:85-91.

Jaradat, J.W. and A.K. Bhunia. 2003. Adhesion, Invasion, and translocation characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes serotypes in a Caco-2 cell and mouse model. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69:3640-3645.

DETECTION

Banada, P.P., S. Guo, B. Bayraktar, E. Bae, B. Rajwa, J. Paul Robinson, E.D. Hirleman, and A.K. Bhunia. 2007. Optical forward scattering for detection of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species. Biosens. Bioelectron. 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. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 73:1423-1434.

Hahm, B. K and A.K. Bhunia. 2006. Effect of environmental stresses on antibody-based detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes. J. Appl. Microbiol. 100:1017-1027.

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. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43:5865-5872.

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. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71:1890-1898.

Geng, T., M.T. Morgan, and A.K. Bhunia. 2004. Detection of low levels of Listeria monocytogenes cells by using a fiber-optic immunosensor. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70:6138-6146.