Dr. Syed Qaswar Ali Shah (Director)

PhD (Norwegian School Of Veterinary Sciences Norway), Postdoc

Biography:

Dr. Syed Qaswar Ali Shah did Master in Zoology from the Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan and was awarded Gold Medal in 1994. In 1995, he was appointed as a part time Lecturer in Zoology at the Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan and in 1996, he joined the Punjab Higher Education Department as a Lecturer in Biology after selection by the Punjab Public Service Commission. He did M.Phil. in Zoology in 2005 from the Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan.
In 2007, he was awarded Scholarship for PhD under “Overseas Scholarship Phase 1, Batch 2” scheme and completed his PhD from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science (2008 – 2012) entitled “Antimicrobial resistance in fish pathogenic and aquatic environmental bacteria”.
During his doctoral study he has been involved in all processes of bacterial sampling, cultivation, drug resistance testing and laboratory techniques related to DNA isolation, DNA-DNA hybridization, conjugation, cloning, PCR-amplification, qPCR. He also got experience in using various microbiological laboratory techniques and instruments particularly related to drug resistance testing and dissemination of resistance among bacterial pathogenic and environmental bacteria. He used various bioinformatics and genetic tools to analyze the results. He sequenced and submitted various gene sequences in GenBank data which are available online.
From 2014 – 2016, he worked on a Postdoc project related to the “Prevention of bacterial infections and control of antibiotic resistance in the food chainhttp://uc-care.ku.dk/english/ “ in the Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2016, he joined the Punjab Higher Education Department as an Associate Professor of Zoology and served till 2018. In 2019, he joined the Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences and is serving as an Associate Professor of Zoology.

Areas of Interest

Zoology, Biological Sciences, Fisheries, Aquaculture, Microbiology, Bacteriology, Epidemiology, Veterinary Medicines, Infectious diseases, Antibiotic resistance

Work Experience:

Education and Training:

Technical and Laboratory Skills:

Publications:

1. Rehman, N. U., Shah, S. Q. A., Naeem, M., Naz, H., & Rafiq, M. (2026). Proximate body composition, elemental concentration and enzymatic activity analysis of Catla catla exposed to the nanoparticle (CuO-NPs) and Vitamin C. Plos one, 21(2), e0339412.
2. Raziq, K., Shah, S. Q. A., Shahzad, M. N., Ummara, U. E., Subhan, M., & Nazir, M. M. (2025). The gut–liver–virus axis in hepatitis B and C: microbiota, immunometabolism, and exosome-mediated therapeutic opportunities. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archives of Pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-025-04856-8
3. Iqbal, S., Ghaffar, A., Shah, S. Q. A., & Rauf, M. (2025). Fossil mammals from the new locality Gazlope, Sakhi Sarwar, Sulaiman Range, district Dera Ghazi Khan, South Punjab, Pakistan. Historical Biology, 1-43.
4. Muneer, A., Xu, C., Shah, S. Q. A., Aqib, A. I., Ali, M. M., Ghaffar, A., Ataya, F. S., & Li, K. (2025). Insights into structure, toxicity and antibacterial potential of tungsten carbon nanocomposites coupled with antibiotics. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23257-8
5. Rasheed, S., Shah, S. Q. A., Naz, H., & Ahmad, A. S. (2025). Prevalence and antibiotic resistance profiles of quinolone-resistant bacteria from freshwater fish farms in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Pakistan Veterinary Journal. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2025.xxx
6. Muneer, A., Shah, S. Q. A., Aqib, A. I., Ali, M. M., & Ghaffar, A. (2025). Infection dynamics of Salmonella enterica in Houbara bustard and resistance modulation through nanocomposites coupled antibiotics. Pakistan Veterinary Journal. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2025.227
7. Raziq, K., Shah, S. Q. A., Shaha, T., Tariq, M., Badshah, S., Riaz, U., Ibáñez-Arancibia, E., De los Ríos-Escalante, P. R., Jalees, M. M., & Badshah, F. (2025). Prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B and C in Bahawalpur: A hospital-based study. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 85(e288357). https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.288357
8. Liu, F., Huge, J., Hassan, M. A., Shah, S. Q. A., Liu, Y., Teri, G., Yila, G., Su, R., & Geri, L. (2025). Identification of rChiA DP enzyme activity in the tick-derived Bacillus IMH/B-1 strain and its enzymatic analysis. Scientific Reports.
9. Shah, S. Q. A., Mahmood, K., Rashid, M. I., Na, H., Sohail, M. L., Naseer, O., Ali, S., Shabir, S., Hassan, M. A., Ayaz, M. M., Munawar, A., & Ahmad, A. S. (2024). Prevalence, morphological, and molecular characterization of Lernaea cyprinacea isolated from major carps of Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Pakistan Veterinary Journal.
10. Maqbool, S., Murtaza, M., Kumar, S., Aqib, A. I., Shah, S. Q. A., Muneer, A., & Nabeel, M. A. (2024). Prevalence, potential risks, and drug resistance in Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella sp. infesting captive Houbara bustard. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 1–9.
11. Khan, K., Sultan, R., Shah, S. Q. A., Farooq, Z., Rehman, N. U., Munir, H., & Khan, J. M. (2024). Head and neck cancer risk and human papillomavirus: Bradford Hill criteria-based evaluation. Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, 31(1), 1536–1546.
12. Sumaira, F., Naz, H., Ahmed, T., Zulfiqar, I., Mehmood, K., Jabbar, M., Shah, S. Q. A., & Usman, M. (2024). Toxicity, histology, hepato-somatic index, and growth responses of cadmium-stressed Labeo rohita. Punjab University Journal of Zoology, 39(1), 79–85.
13. Naz, H., Abdullah, S., Ahmed, T., Abbas, K., Shah, S. Q. A., Rizwan, M., Latif, F., Qazi, A. A., & Hassan, M. A. (2024). Chlorpyrifos and endosulfan mixture induced DNA damage and nuclear anomalies in RBCs of Labeo rohita assessed through comet and micronucleus assay. Punjab University Journal of Zoology, 39(1), 7–13.
14. Ajmaal, R., Naz, H., Mehmood, K., Batool, M., Rehman, N. U., Ahmed, T., Shah, S. Q. A., Safdar, W., Imam, S., Ijaz, M. U., & Usman, M. (2024). Histo-morphometric indices and catalase response in muscles, gills, and intestine of cadmium-stressed Hypophthalmichthys molitrix. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 1–10.
15. Ahmad, T., Abbas, K., Naz, H., Abdullah, S., Shah, S. Q. A., Khalil, A., Ahmad, S., Amjad, H., & Ahmad, S. (2023). Microsatellite DNA markers revealed low to moderate levels of genetic diversity in domestic stocks of Catla catla. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 57(1), 1–500.
16. Maryam, S., Naz, H., Ahmed, T., Omran, A., Alanazi, Y. F., Usman, M., Ijaz, M. U., Shah, S. Q. A., Qazi, A. A., Ali, B., Ali, H., Alasmari, A., & Heidary, K. (2023). Determination of histological and genotoxic parameters of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) exposed to lead (Pb). Cellular and Molecular Biology. http://dx.doi.org/10.14715/cmb/2023.69.4.2
17. Naz, H., Abdullah, S., Ahmad, T., Abbas, K., Ijaz, M. U., Kumar, S., Hassan, M. A., & Shah, S. Q. A. (2022). Toxicity, oxidative stress, and genotoxicity: Lethal and sub-lethal effects of three different insecticide mixtures on Cirrhina mrigala. Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 32(1), 256–265.
18. Muneer, A., Kumar, S., Aqib, A. I., Khan, S. R., Shah, S. Q. A., Zaheer, I., & Ahmad, W. (2022). Evaluation of sodium alginate stabilized nanoparticles and antibiotics against drug-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from gut of Houbara bustard bird. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7627759
19. Sattanathan, G., Tamizhazhagan, V., Raza, N., Shah, S. Q. A., Hussain, M. Z., & Kim, K. (2021). Effects of green alga Chaetomorpha aerea extract on non-specific immune responses and disease resistance against Edwardsiella tarda infection in Labeo rohita. Applied Sciences, 11(10), 4325. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11104325
20. Aziz, K., Abbas, K., Ahmed, T., Abdullah, S., Naz, H., Shah, S. Q. A., & Ahmad, S. (2020). Catalase activity in response to metals in freshwater fish Catla catla. Abasyn Journal of Life Sciences, 3(2), 66–72. https://doi.org/10.34091/AJLS.3.2.6
21. Cabello, F. C., Godfrey, H. P., Ivanova, L., Shah, S. Q. A., & Sørum, H. (2020). Freshwater salmon aquaculture in Chile and transferable antimicrobial resistance. Environmental Microbiology, 22(2), 559–563. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.14891
22. Hussain, M. Z., Qasim, M., Ali, A., Shah, S. Q. A., Aziz, S., & Mustafa, G. (2017). Breeding rate and mortality in Australian parrot (Melopsittacus undulatus) in captivity at Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Pure and Applied Biology, 6(2), 511–515. https://doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2017.60051
23. Shah, S. Q. A., Hussain, M. Z., Ali, M., & Salam, A. (2017). Effect of stress conditions on body composition parameters of farmed rohu (Labeo rohita). Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 17, 471–476. https://doi.org/10.4194/1303-2712-v17_3_03
24. Espinosa-Gongora, C., Shah, S. Q. A., Jessen, L. R., Bortolaia, V., Langebæk, R., Bjørnvad, C. R., & Guardabassi, L. (2015). Quantitative assessment of faecal shedding of β-lactam-resistant Escherichia coli and enterococci in dogs. Veterinary Microbiology, 181(3–4), 298–302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.10.004
25. Hussain, M. Z., & Shah, S. Q. A. (2016). Effect of stress conditions on condition factor and growth of farmed rohu (Labeo rohita). Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 4(5), 258–261.
26. Shah, S. Q. A., L’Abée-Lund, T. M., Tomova, A., Buschmann, A. H., Cabello, F. C., & Sørum, H. (2014). Antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial resistance genes in marine bacteria from salmon aquaculture and non-aquaculture sites. Environmental Microbiology, 16(5), 1310–1320. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.12421
27. Shah, S. Q. A., & Sørum, H. (2014). Genetic localization of a TetR-like transcriptional regulator gene in Pseudomonas fluorescens isolated from farmed fish. Journal of Applied Genetics, 55(4), 541–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13353-014-0221-1
28. Cantas, L., Shah, S. Q. A., Cavaco, L. M., Manaia, C., Walsh, F., Popowska, M., Garelick, H., Børgmann, H., & Sørum, H. (2013). A brief multidisciplinary review on antimicrobial resistance in medicine and its linkage to the global environmental microbiota. Frontiers in Microbiology, 4, 96. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00096
29. Shah, S. Q. A., Colquhoun, D. J., Nikuli, H. L., & Sørum, H. (2012). Prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in the bacterial flora of integrated fish farming environments of Pakistan and Tanzania. Environmental Science & Technology, 46, 8672–8679. https://doi.org/10.1021/es3018607
30. Shah, S. Q. A., Nilsen, H., Bottolfsen, K., Colquhoun, D. J., & Sørum, H. (2012). DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV mutations in quinolone-resistant Flavobacterium psychrophilum isolated from diseased salmonids in Norway. Microbial Drug Resistance, 18(2), 207–214. https://doi.org/10.1089/mdr.2011.0142
31. Shah, S. Q. A., Karatas, S., Nilsen, H., Steinum, T. M., Colquhoun, D. J., & Sørum, H. (2012). Characterization and expression of the gyrA gene from quinolone-resistant Yersinia ruckeri strains isolated from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). Aquaculture, 350–353, 37–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2012.04.022
32. Gilbert, M., Virani, M. Z., Watson, R. T., Oaks, J. L., Benson, P. C., Khan, A. A., Ahmad, S., Chaudry, J., Arshad, M., Mahmood, S., & Shah, Q. A. (2002). Breeding and mortality of Oriental white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis) in Punjab Province, Pakistan. Bird Conservation International, 12, 311–326. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270902002198
33. Virani, M., Watson, R., Oaks, I., Gilbert, M., Benson, P., Khan, A. A., Baral, H. S., Shah, Q. A., & Girl, J. B. (2001). The Asian vulture crisis: A global perspective. In L. Bennun & M. Virani (Eds.), Responding to the Asian Vulture Crisis: Planning for Vulture Monitoring and Conservation in Kenya (pp. 1–10). National Museums of Kenya Ornithological Research Report No. 41.

Awards and honours:

• Gold Medal in MSc. Zoology
• Granted Overseas PhD Scholarship from HEC, Pakistan
• Reviewer for various peer reviewed international journals related to life sciences including Chemosphere, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Aquaculture, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Pakistan journal of Zoology
• PhD research articles related to fish pathogens were part of Norwegian Fish Health report 2011 published by the Norwegian Veterinary Institute http://www.vetinst.no/eng/Publications/Fish-Health-Report

Conferences Attended:

• Shah S Q A., Asma, Bibi, S. " Prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility profile of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in water and raw milk " Oral presentation (4th International Conference on “Food and Nutrition Security in changing climate” organized by Institute of Food Science and Nutrition BZ University Multan) 3 – 4 March 2019.
• Shah S Q A. "Prevalence of antibiotic resistance in aquatic environmental bacteria of fish farming facilities in Pakistan" Oral presentation (11th International Conference jointly organized by Pakistan Society of Microbiology, American Society of Microbiology & Institute of Food Science and Nutrition BZ University Multan) 18 – 20 Dec. 2017.
• Valeria Bortolaia, V, Shah S Q A, Jensen H U, Christensen J P, Christensen H, Guardabassi L. "Low prevalence of cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli in Danish broiler production, 2014-2015" Poster presentation ICOHAR (International Conference on One Health Antimicrobial Resistance) 2015. Copenhagen September 30 – October 2.
• Shah S Q A and Sørum H ―Use of prebiotics and probiotics: An alternative to antimicrobials in integrated fish farming‖. Oral and Poster presentation Keele University Manchester (Prebiotics and Probiotics in Medicine, Veterinary Sciences and Aquaculture September 2012).
• Shah S Q A, Colquhoun D, Cabello F and Sørum H ― Antimicrobial resistance in aquatic environmental bacteria associated with fish farms and pond sediments‖. Poster presentation SETAC (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry) World Congress Berlin 2012
•  Shah S Q A and Sørum H "Antibiotic resistance among aquatic sedimental bacteria of freshwater fish farming environments". Oral presentation ARAE (Antimicrobial Resistance in Animals and the Environment) 2011. Tours, France 27 June 2011.
• Shah S Q A and Sørum H "Quinolone resistance in Flavobacterium psychrophilum isolated from diseased salmonids in Norway". Oral presentation — Communication Network in Marine Bacteria) Tromsø June 2011
• Shah S Q A, Cantas L and Sørum H "Antibiotic resistance in aquatic environmental bacteria". Henning Zurich — 24 Nov. 2010. Poster presentation. COST ACTION (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).
• Shah S Q A and Sørum H ―gyrA mutations in quinolone resistant Flavobacterium psychrophilum from a disease outbreak in famed rainbow trout on the west coast of Norway. June 2009. Poster presentation in FEMS 2009 — 3rd congress of European Microbiologists Gothenberg, Sweden.

Memberships

• SETAC (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry)
• DARE COST ACTION (European Cooperation in Science and Technology)
• Norsk forening for Mikrobiologi/FEMS (Federation of European Microbiological Societies)