Rahul Chaubey

About

Experienced (Learning by doing) Medical Arthropodologist, especially in vector biology with over 13 years of research experience. Well-versed in insect systematics, biology, behavior, toxicology, disease transmission, molecular biology and insectary development.

Presently Managing Entomological and Molecular biology research in control of Visceral Leishmaniasis (Kala-Azar) and its transmission dynamics.
While pursuing my studies, I have undergone extensive hands-on training in Insect molecular biology, taxonomy, toxicology, IPM and vector’s association with pathogen and bacterial endosymbionts and published my work in various national and international journals. Studied bionomics and population dynamics of sand fly to provide P. argentipes updated field data on seasonal abundance, endophilic & exophilic behavior, host preferences and infection rate. Presently, Established and maintaining a pathogen free closed colony of P. argentipes and performing the direct and indirect xenodiagnosis to find out active human and non-human reservoirs of L. donovani in India. Concluded, that active VL and PKDL cases are acting as reservoirs and asymptomatic & domestic mammals and rodents do not have any role or very limited role in transmission of this disease. Furthermore, evaluating the status of insecticide resistance in field populations of P. argentipes against insecticides used to control VL in endemic areas in Bihar, India and develop an insecticide resistant colony for developing biomarker-based assays to identify resistance.

Seeking a position where my acquaintance with vector biology, can be utilized to make innovative contributions by working as a part of a team, to address vector borne disease problems.

Employment

• Banaras Hindu University Project Research Scientist II
  2024 - Present
• Kala-Azar Medical Research Centre Senior Entomologist
  2023 - 2024
• Banaras Hindu University Senior Entomologist
  2020 - 2023
• Kala-Azar Medical Research Centre Senior Entomologist
  2017 - 2020
• Genesis Laboratories Consultant Entomology
  2016 - 2017
• Indian Agricultural Research Institute senior Research Fellow
  2009 - 2016

Education

• Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University Master of Science Zoology
  2006 - 2008

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (22)

• Skin pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in patients with post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis
  International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2026.107713
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• Presence of localized elevated metabolic enzymes and kdr mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene indicate early evidence of resistance of Phlebotomus argentipes to alpha-cypermethrin in Bihar, India
  Parasites & Vectors 2026 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-026-07339-8
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• Visceral Leishmaniasis–Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Coinfected Patients Are Highly Infectious to Sandflies in an Endemic Area in India
  The Journal of Infectious Diseases 2024 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiae156
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• A phase II, non-comparative randomised trial of two treatments involving liposomal amphotericin B and miltefosine for post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis in India and Bangladesh
  Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases 2024 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012242
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• Dogs as Reservoirs for Leishmania donovani, Bihar, India, 2018–2022
  Emerging Infectious Diseases 2024 DOI: 10.3201/eid3012.240649
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• Monitoring alpha-cypermethrin susceptibility of Phlebotomus argentipes, the vector of visceral leishmaniasis in India, using the CDC bottle bioassay
  Parasites and Vectors 2024 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06579-w
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• Assessing insecticide susceptibility, diagnostic dose and time for the sand fly Phlebotomus argentipes, the vector of visceral leishmaniasis in India, using the CDC bottle bioassay.
  PLoS neglected tropical diseases 2023 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011276
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• Correction: Assessing insecticide susceptibility, diagnostic dose and time for the sand fly Phlebotomus argentipes, the vector of visceral leishmaniasis in India, using the CDC bottle bioassay (PLoS Negl Trop Dis 17(5): e0011276. https://doi.org/10.1371/…
  Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases 2023 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011480
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• Livestock and rodents within an endemic focus of Visceral Leishmaniasis are not reservoir hosts for Leishmania donovani.
  PLoS neglected tropical diseases 2022 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010347
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• Xenodiagnosis to evaluate the infectiousness of humans to sandflies in an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis in Bihar, India: a transmission-dynamics study.
  The Lancet. Microbe 2021 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(20)30166-x
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