Sagar Aryal, PhD

Dr. Sagar Aryal is a microbiologist, researcher, and science communicator from Nepal. He is also co-founder and Research Head of the Department of Natural Products at the Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS), where he leads research on natural product discovery and microbial biodiversity. Dr. Aryal earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2025, supported by a DAAD Research Grant and a University Grants Commission (UGC) Nepal Ph.D. Fellowship. His research interests include Actinomycetes, Myxobacteria, microbial taxonomy, and natural products, particularly the discovery of bioactive compounds with potential pharmaceutical applications. He isolated and identified Nocardia nepalensis, a novel bacterial species from Nepal, contributing to understanding microbial diversity in the region. Dr. Aryal has published more than 16 research articles in international journals and contributed three book chapters to established academic publications. He has presented scientific research findings and developed international research collaborations through visits to more than 18 countries across Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. From 2023 to 2025, he served as the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Young Ambassador to Nepal. Since December 2025, he has served as an Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports, a Nature Portfolio journal. In recognition of his scientific contributions, Dr. Aryal received the NAST Science and Technology Youth Award 2025 from the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology. He previously received the Frs. Locke and Stiller Research Award (LSRA) for the 2017-2018 cycle from St. Xavier's College, Kathmandu, and a Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Research Grant for 2017-2018. Alongside his scientific career, Dr. Aryal has more than 15 years of experience in blogging, content writing, and search engine optimization (SEO).

XLD Agar- Composition, Principle, Preparation, Results, Uses

January 8, 2022January 7, 2022 by Sagar Aryal, PhD

What is XLD Agar? Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate (XLD) agar is a selective growth medium used for the isolation of Salmonella and Shigella species from clinical samples and from food. XLD Agar was developed by Taylor for … Read more

Tryptic Soy Agar- Composition, Principle, Preparation, Results, Uses

May 4, 2022January 7, 2022 by Sagar Aryal, PhD

Tryptic Soy Agar is used as a general growth medium for the isolation and cultivation of microorganisms. They are general-purpose, non-selective media providing enough nutrients to allow for a wide … Read more

Thioglycollate Broth- Composition, Principle, Preparation, Results, Uses

January 8, 2022January 7, 2022 by Sagar Aryal, PhD

Thioglycolate broth is a multipurpose, enriched, differential medium used primarily to determine the oxygen requirements of microorganisms. It acts as an enrichment broth which is most frequently used in diagnostic bacteriology. This broth … Read more

Baird Parker Agar- Composition, Principle, Preparation, Results, Uses

May 2, 2022January 7, 2022 by Sagar Aryal, PhD

Baird Parker Agar was developed by Baird Parker from the Tellurite-glycine formulation of Zebovitz et al for isolation and enumeration of Staphylococci in food and other material since it allows … Read more

Brucella Agar- Composition, Principle, Preparation, Results, Uses

January 8, 2022January 6, 2022 by Sagar Aryal, PhD

Brucella is an intracellular parasite that causes epizootic abortions in animals and septicemic febrile illness or localized infections of the bone, tissue, or organ systems in humans. Brucella species are … Read more

Ashdown’s Agar- Composition, Principle, Preparation, Results, Uses

January 8, 2022January 6, 2022 by Sagar Aryal, PhD

Ashdown’s medium is a selective culture medium for the isolation and characterization of Burkholderia pseudomallei (the bacterium that causes melioidosis). Ashdown’s medium was first described by LR Ashdown in 1979. Composition of Ashdown’s Agar Ingredients … Read more

MacConkey Agar- Composition, Principle, Preparation, Results, Uses

January 13, 2023January 6, 2022 by Sagar Aryal, PhD

MacConkey agar was the first solid differential media to be formulated which was developed in the 20th century by Alfred Theodore MacConkey. MacConkey Agar is the earliest selective and differential medium for the … Read more

Bird Seed Agar- Composition, Principle, Preparation, Results, Uses, Limitations

January 8, 2022January 6, 2022 by Sagar Aryal, PhD

Bird Seed Agar is a solid medium used for selective and differential isolation of Cryptococcus neoformans from clinical specimens. It is used for the selective isolation of Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii. C. neoformans usually grows … Read more

Salmonella Shigella (SS) Agar- Composition, Principle, Preparation, Results, Uses

January 8, 2022January 6, 2022 by Sagar Aryal, PhD

Salmonella Shigella (SS) Agar is a moderately selective and differential medium for the isolation, cultivation, and differentiation of Salmonella spp. and some strains of Shigella spp. SS Agar is a modification of the Deoxycholate Citrate … Read more

VRBA- Composition, Principle, Preparation, Results, Uses

January 13, 2023January 6, 2022 by Sagar Aryal, PhD

Coliforms refer to all aerobic and facultative anaerobic, gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod-shaped bacteria that ferment lactose with gas and acid formation within 48 hours at 35°C. Procedures to detect, enumerate, and … Read more