Shabarinath Srikumar, Ph.D. - profile information

Short Bio

“We are what we eat!” Different food matrices contain different pathogenic microorganisms that threaten human health and life. Eating safe food, free of pathogenic microorganisms, is therefore very important for leading a healthy life. Although the growth kinetics of different microorganisms in various food matrices are well characterized, a mechanistic understanding of how these organisms adapt and survive in these matrices is scarce. Understanding the mechanisms underlying food survival will enable the development of tailored food safety practices to mitigate pathogen risks. To achieve this goal, I established a molecular food microbiology laboratory at the Department of Poultry Science, Auburn University College of Agriculture, that utilizes ‘omics’-based approaches to mechanistically evaluate the survival and proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms in poultry meat, egg yolk, poultry environment, and desiccated food matrices. Studying the pathogen-food interactions at a molecular level will allow deep insights into how pathogenic bacteria alter their metabolic and regulatory profiles during adaptation to the different poultry environments. We are also interested in characterizing unique foodborne bioactive compounds for their ability to inhibit multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens.