VETERINARY COLLEGE AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE, TIRUNELVELI

DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY

The Department of Veterinary Microbiology was created on 22/06/2012 with the aim of identifying and controlling the infectious diseases of livestock through quality education, sustained and fruitful research and result oriented extension activities. The Department has laboratory facilities for Bacteriology, Virology, Immunology, Biotechnology and Mycology.

Objectives

To offer quality education in Veterinary Microbiology using modern education technology for under-graduate students.
To provide laboratory facilities for research in Veterinary Microbiology.
To examine various clinical samples for diagnosis of infectious diseases of livestock and to offer advice on their control and prevention.
To offer continuing professional developmental programmes and training to filed veterinarians in microbiological techniques and issues.

Education

As per the MSVE, 2016, this department is offering following courses for undergraduate students

General and Systematic Veterinary Bacteriology
Veterinary Mycology
Microbial Biotechnology
Veterinary Immunology and Serology
General and Systematic Veterinary Virology

Research

The Department has a vision to promote and strengthen the research activities in the thrust areas such as prevalence of infectious diseases among livestock in southern districts of Tamil Nadu, Development of genomic data for viruses affecting small ruminants and field level study on surveillance and monitoring of small ruminants diseases in southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Currently, the Department is carrying out the research activities in the areas of isolation and identification and molecular characterization of infectious diseases of sheep and goats and studies on MDR bacterial strains in Livestock

Research projects completed

S.No	Title	Funding agency	Total outlay (Rs. in Lakhs)	Period
1	ICAR subproject on veterinary type culture collection network project- under Tribal subplan	ICAR	2.0	2015
2	ICAR subproject on Veterinary Type culture Collection Network project –under Tribal subplan	ICAR	0.5	2018
3	Detection and differentiation of avian oncogenic viruses in native chicken	TANUVAS Sub-project	0.01	2019-20
4	Characterization of Avibacterium paragallinarum causing Infectious Coryza in southern Tamil Nadu region	TANUVAS Sub-project	0.01	2020
5	Veterinary Type culture Collection Network project –under Tribal subplan	ICAR	1.0	2020
6	Collaborative Research Project on “Accelerating bovine tuberculosis control in developing countries – India (AbTB- CD)	Pennsylvania State University, USA and DBT, Govt. of India	34.762 lakhs per year	2018-2021
7	Socio economic empowerment and capacity building of rural women through scientific technological interventions in Goat farming	NABARD	12.26 lakh	2024

Research projects ongoing

S.No	Title	Funding agency	Total outlay (Rs. in Lakhs)	Period
1	Controlled Field Trial of Oral Vaccination Kit Against Newcastle Disease to Augment Productivity in Native Poultry of Tamil Nadu	CMRG	35.1435	2025-26
2	Alternatives to antibacterial: Development of phytosome loaded polyherbal extracts for treating necrotic enteritis in broiler chicken	DBT	38.37 lakhs	2024

Facilities

Master Cycler with dual gradient blocks
Gel Documentation system
ALL-IN ONE Microscope [Phase contrast Microscope with Bright Field, Dark filed, Epiflourescent assembly, Photomicrography and Projection attachment (PC, LED TV & LCD projector)
Student's Monocular Compound Microscope and Binocular microscopes with LED illumination
Inverted microscope with C-mos camera
Deep freezer (-20 degree C and -40 degree C)
Hot air oven
Vertical Laminar air flow cabinets
Microbiological Incubator, BOD incubator, CO2 incubator and Egg incubator
Vertical and Horizontal autoclaves

Refrigerated centrifuge, C-24- High speed centrifuge and Bucket type micro centrifuges
All glass single distillation unit and All glass double distillation units
Electronic Analytical balance and pH meter
Sterilizer Filter assembly (Membrane and Seitz)
Serological Water bath and Water bath shaking
Immuno electrophoresis, Submarine gel electrophoresis units with power pack
ELISA reader
Refrigerator with ice making facility
Automatic pipette washer
Hot plate with magnetic stirrer
Spinix – Vortex mixer

Extension

Various clinical samples are screened regularly for diagnosis of infectious diseases to effect control and prevention.
Farmers are routinely advised on biosecurity, vaccination schedule, disease prevention and control measures for control and prevention of livestock diseases.
Participating in disease investigation work for the diagnosis of infectious diseases as and when required by the Dept. of Animal Husbandry and VUTRCs.
Guest lectures, Radio / TV talks are being given regularly for the benefit of farmers, students, and academicians.
Short technical messages beneficial to the farmers are routinely delivered through AIR and published in news papers.

Salient Achievements

Conducted three days international e-conference on “Paradigm shift in Animal Disease Diagnostics: Veracious path in Disease prevention and Control”
Organised “Biologicals Meet” for B.V.Sc. & AH students to get acquaintance with various trade preparations of biologicals.
Conducted Livestock health camp and Training on livestock production to tribal sub populations of Tirunelveli district
Published 91 research articles, 120 research abstracts, 5 Books, 28 book chapters, 77 popular articles, 12 pamphlets and 4 Booklets.
Delivered six TV talks and 17 radio talks and 99 guest lectures.
Sixty six disease investigation works were carried out for the diagnosis of infectious diseases of livestock and poultry along with the Dept. of Animal Husbandry and VUTRCs in Southern Districts of Tamil Nadu.
Participated in 35 mass contact / Livestock health camps organized by VCRI, Tirunelveli and 31 Farmers meet.
Every month 70 to 90 clinical samples are tested and the results were communicated to the welfare of livestock community.
To forecast disease outbreaks among livestock in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, collected basic data of Block wise and Season wise disease outbreak particulars for the past 15 years from Tuticorin, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, and Virudhunagar districts of southern Tamil Nadu.
Serum based screening and molecular detection of Brucellosis in small ruminants of Tirunelveli district was carried out.
Molecular detection and characterization of Oncogenic viruses from Native chicken of Tamil Nadu was carried out.
Molecular detection and characterization of sheeppox virus was carried out.
Isolation and serotyping of Avibacterium paragallinarum from desi birds was carried out.
Molecular detection of Lumpy skin disease virus in cattle from Tamil Nadu was carried out
Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of LSDV was carried out.
First report on whole genome sequencing and comparative genomics of Salmonella enterica serovar Abortusequi isolated from Donkey in India was carried out.

Faculty

Name of the Faculty	Designation	E-mail	Mobile#
MALMARUGAN,S	PROFESSOR AND HEAD	vmcmals@gmail.com \| micromals@rediffmail.com	7598172607
RAJALAKSHMI,S (ALIAS) RADABAI	ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR	rajalakshmi.s@tanuvas.ac.in	9940461305
MANIKANDAN,R	ASSISTANT PROFESSOR	manish6mani@gmail.com	7200252856

Head of the Department,
Department of Veterinary Microbiology,
Veterinary College and Research Institute, Tirunelveli - 627 358.
Phone: +91-462-2336345
E-mail: vmcvcritni@tanuvas.org.in