Dr Pappu Kumar Mandal

Research Officer - Microbiology

Qualifications:

PhD, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2020; M.Sc. Medical Microbiology, Central Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2009

Approved level of HDR supervision at Charles Darwin University:

Secondary

Location:

Darwin - Royal Darwin Hospital

Biography:

Dr Pappu Kumar Mandal is a Medical Microbiologist interested in clinical microbiology research. He has worked on several post graduate research projects focusing on microbiological investigations of clinical specimens. Most of his studies have provided an important insight on bacterial resistance to commonly used antibiotics. He is a highly skilled researcher with expertise in wet lab microbiological techniques (culture-based and molecular) and bioinformatics. His skills include primary isolation and phenotyping of bacteria from clinical specimens, microbial genomics and microbiome analyses. His PhD research applied advanced microbiological techniques and produced important outcomes in the application of bacteriophages (phage therapy); an emerging alternative to antibiotics for treating high-risk multidrug resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogens. He has specialist expertise in isolation, purification and characterization of bacteriophages.

Dr Mandal commenced at Menzies Child Health laboratory in 2021 and leads microbiological sample processing, analysis, and biobanking for various child health-related clinical trials. His research interests include surveillance of MDR bacterial pathogens, alternatives to antibiotic-based therapies for high-risk bacterial pathogens, and exploration of bacteriophages and phage lysins for tackling MDR bacteria.

Research Themes
  • Mandal, P.K., Ballerin, G., Nolan, L.M., Petty, N.K., & Whitchurch, C.B., (2021). Bacteriophage infection of Escherichia coli leads to the formation of membrane vesicles via both explosive cell lysis and membrane blebbing. Microbiology (Reading) 167.
  • Mandal, P.K., (2020). Escherichia coli bacteriophages as candidates for phage therapy and their involvement in membrane vesicle biogenesis, University of Technology Sydney, Open Publications of UTS Scholars.
  • Yadav, N.S., Sharma, S., Chaudhary, D.K., Panthi, P., Pokhrel, P., Shrestha, A., & Mandal, P.K. (2018). Bacteriological profile of neonatal sepsis and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of isolates admitted at Kanti Children's Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. BMC Res Notes 11: 301.
  • Rai, M., Bhattarai, N., Dhungel, N., & Mandal, P.K. (2016). Isolation of antibiotic producing Actinomycetes from soil of Kathmandu valley and assessment of their antimicrobial activities. Int J Microbiol Allied Sci 2(4): 22-26.
  • Maharjan, M.N., Mandal, K.P., & Sharma, K.V. (2015). Comparative Study among the Bacterial Causes of Urinary Tract Infection in Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients Visiting Alka Hospital, Lalitpur. Ann Clin Med Microbio 1(2): 1006.
  • Shakya, R., Amatya, R., Karki, B. M., Mandal, P. K., & Shrestha, K. K. (2014). Spectrum of bacterial pathogens and their antibiogram from cases of urinary tract infection among renal disorder patients. Nepal Med Coll J, 16(1), 75-79. 
  • Aryal, B., Mandal, P.K., & Tripathi, P.D. (2014). Microbiological Spectrum and Susceptibility Pattern of Clinical Isolates from Children Suspected of Urinary Tract Infection, Visiting Kanti Children’s Hospital, Maharajgung, Kathmandu. GJMR 2014: 14(7).
  • Shrestha, R.K., Rai, S.K., Khanal, L.K. & Mandal, P.K., (2013). Bacteriological study of neonatal sepsis and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of isolates in Kathmandu Nepal. Nepal Med Coll J 15(1): 71- 73
  • Amatya, R., Bhattarai, S., Mandal, P.K., Tuladhar, H., & Karki, B.M.S. (2013). Urinary Tract Infection in Vaginitis: a condition overlooked. Nepal Med Coll J 15(1): 65-67
  • Mandal, P.K., Basnyat, S., Khadka, D.K., & Bhatta, D.R. (2010). Evaluation of Nitrate Reductase Assay (NRA) for rapid detection of drug resistant tuberculosis at National Tuberculosis centre, Nepal. SAARC J. Tuber. Lung Dis. HIV/AIDS 7(1):26‐30

Read more at https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=hY7vQtEAAAAJ

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