Dr. Santosh Koratkar
Ph.D. Thesis on:
Isolation, Characterization and Evaluation of Lytic Bacteriophages from Wastewater against Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp.
Dr. Santosh S. Koratkar is associated with the Laboratory for Bacterial Communication through collaborative research in antimicrobial resistance, bacteriophages, zoonotic pathogens, and environmental surveillance. His work with Prof. Sunil D. Saroj has contributed to the laboratory’s broader interest in understanding infectious disease biology from clinical, veterinary, and One Health perspectives.
A major area of his recent research focuses on bacteriophages as alternative or complementary strategies against multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens. In collaboration with Prof. Saroj and the SSBS team, Dr. Koratkar has worked on phage-based approaches targeting multidrug-resistant avian pathogenic Escherichia coli and clinical MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. These studies involved isolation and characterization of lytic bacteriophages, evaluation of phage cocktails, and assessment of their potential relevance in controlling resistant bacterial infections.
His collaborative publications also reflect a strong interest in ESKAPE pathogens and the growing role of bacteriophages in addressing difficult-to-treat infections. Together with members of the laboratory, he contributed to work discussing the pathogenicity of ESKAPE organisms and the therapeutic potential of phage-based interventions in the context of antimicrobial resistance.
Dr. Koratkar’s research interests extend beyond clinical AMR to veterinary and environmental microbiology. His collaborative work with Prof. Saroj includes studies on verotoxin-producing E. coli from healthy Indian cattle, highlighting the importance of livestock-associated reservoirs in the broader transmission ecology of bacterial pathogens. He has also been involved in environmental surveillance projects, including wastewater-based monitoring of viral pathogens in the Pune region.
Within the laboratory ecosystem, Dr. Koratkar brings an important veterinary and One Health perspective. His contributions help connect bacterial pathogenesis, antimicrobial resistance, animal-associated reservoirs, environmental surveillance, and phage-based interventions into a more integrated understanding of infectious disease control.
His association with the Laboratory for Bacterial Communication continues to strengthen interdisciplinary research at the interface of microbiology, AMR, bacteriophage biology, and One Health.