Dr. M. Poornima

With a master’s degree in Veterinary Microbiology, I entered into the ARS stream in 1997 and working in ICAR-CIBA since 2000 on brackishwater aquatic animal health. In service, I obtained Ph.D. in Veterinary Microbiology in 2007. I am currently working in Aquatic Animal Health and Environment Division. My research includes interdisciplinary approaches to diagnose pathogens of shellfish and finfish and to develop suitable preventive and therapeutics. I worked on detection, development of diagnostics for viral pathogens of shrimp and finfish, fish vaccines, and RNAi-based therapeutics for aquatic animal health management. I have an interest to unravel the aetiology of emerging disease syndromes, improvement of diagnostics for field application, and developing therapeutics for economically important diseases in brackishwater aquaculture.

• Development of molecular diagnostics for economically important disease-causing pathogens in brackishwater finfish and shellfish
• Development of vaccines for brackishwater fish pathogens
• Genomics and characterization of fish and shellfish viruses in brackishwater aquaculture

• Third best prize for the presentation on Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approaches for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the Covid-19 pandemic: A concise review analysis by M. Poornima and S. Kalaivani Priyadarshini in the International E-conference  on Recent  Trends in Drug Discovery, Diagnostics and Therapeutics: A special emphasis on COVID19”organized by the Department of Biotechnology, VIGNAN’s Foundation for Science, Technology & Research in association with Kansas State University, LLB School, AP Akademie of Sciences and Al-  Quds University  held online during 2–4 July, 2020.
• NABL Laboratory Assessor since 30 December 2019
• Best paper presentation award for the paper - Recombinant outer membrane protein, OMP26la of Vibrio anguillarum is an effective vaccine candidate by M. Poornima, Vijaya Kumar R, Santiago , T.C and Arasu , A.R.T. in the International Conference on Ecosystem Conservation, Climate Change and Sustainable Development (ECOCASD 2013)” held during 3-5 Oct, 2013 at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• Undergone NAIP sponsored International Training for three months period from 24^th Oct, 2011 to 23^rd Jan, 2012 in the area of Molecular diagnostics (Fisheries)” at Center of Excellence for Shrimp Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (CENTEX SHRIMP), Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
• Best Poster Award for the poster on Identification of immune related genes from WSSV infected Penaeus monodon EST library by Aravindan K, Santiago T.C., Kalaimani N., Alavandi S.V, Poornima M. and Rajan, J.J.S in national conference on ‘Emerging trends in biological research’, (NCEBR’11) held during 21 – 22 February 2011 at University of Madras, Chennai.
• Reviewer for peer reviewed journals Aquaculture research, Aquaculture International Basic Microbiology, Canadian Journal of Microbiology and Indian Journal of Fisheries
• Evaluator for DBT funded projects, ICAR-National fellow project, project proposal submitted to The Rufford Small Grants Foundation, UK
• Expert committee member for initiation of Doctoral programme in the Department of Aquatic animal health management, College of Fishery science, Muthukur, Nellore, AP

• Alavandi, S.V., Vijayan, K. K. Santiago, T.C. Poornima, M., Jithendran, K. P. Ali S.A. and Rajan J.J.S. (2004). Evaluation of Pseudomonas sp. PM 11 and Vibrio fluvialis PM 17 on immune indices of tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon. Fish Shellfish Immun., 17: 115 – 120
• Poornima, M. Seetang-Nun, Y. Alavandi S. V. and Syama Dayal, J. (2012). Laem-Singh Virus: A Probable Etiological Agent Associated with Monodon Slow Growth Syndrome in Farmed Black Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon). Indian J. Virol., 23: 215-225 (DOI 10.1007 /s13337 -012-0099-7)
• Thiyagarajan, S., Chrisolite, B., Alavandi, S.V., Poornima, M., Kalaimani. N. and Santiago. T. C. (2011). Characterization of four lytic transducing bacteriophages of luminescent Vibrio harveyi isolated from shrimp (Penaeus monodon) hatcheries. FEMS Microbiol Lett., 325 :85–91
• Sanjuktha, V. Stalin Raj, K. Aravindan, Alavandi, S. V., Poornima M. and Santiago, T. C. (2012). Comparative efficacy of double-stranded RNAs targeting WSSV structural and nonstructural genes in controlling viral multiplication in Penaeus monodon. Arch Virol., 157: 993–998
• Kumar,S., Bharathi, R.A., Rajan, J.J.S., Alavandi, S.V., Poornima, M., Balasubramanian, C.P. and Ponniah, A.G. (2013). Viability of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in sediment during sun-drying (drainable pond) and under non-drainable pond conditions indicated by infectivity to shrimp. Aquaculture, 402–403 : 119–126.

• Kathyayani, S.A., Poornima, M., Sukumaran, S., Nagavel, A. and Muralidhar, M (2019). Effect of ammonia stress on immune variables of Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei under varying levels of pH and susceptibility to white spot syndrome virus.  Environ. safe., 184:109626
• Kumar, D. R., Sanjuktha, M., Rajan, J.J.S., Bharathi, R. A., Alavandi, S.V., Santiago, T.C. and Poornima, M. (2014). Development of SYBR Green based real time PCR assay for detection of Monodon Baculovirus (MBV) in Peneaus monodon. J. Virol. Methods., 205 :81–86
• Kumar, D. R., Elumalai, R., Raichur, A.M., Sanjuktha, M., Rajan, J.J., Alavandi, S.V., Vijayan, K.K., Poornima, M. and Santiago, T.C. (2016) Development of antiviral gene therapy for Monodon baculovirus using dsRNA loaded chitosan-dextran sulfate nanocapsule delivery system in Penaeus monodon post-larvae. Antivir Res., 131: 124-130