NIMR Collects Bat Samples at Alipore Zoo to Screen for Nipah Virus

Kolkata: Teams from the National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) have begun conducting random RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests on bats at the Alipore Zoological Garden in south Kolkata to determine whether they are carriers of the Nipah virus.

Sources said that NIMR teams collected blood and swab samples from bats at the zoo during early morning hours on Thursday and Friday, completing the exercise at dawn before leaving the premises.

As part of efforts to trace the source of Nipah infection, bats across West Bengal are being tested using RT-PCR. Recently, samples were collected from bats in Madhyamgram, Barasat and Basirhat areas of North 24 Parganas district. Within Kolkata, the Alipore Zoological Garden is the only location known to have a sizeable bat population.

To address concerns over the virus, the collected samples have been sent for RT-PCR testing. The National Institute of Virology (NIV) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) are conducting the tests in coordination with the state health department, with logistical support from the state forest department.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Sandeep Sundriyal said that permission from the forest department is mandatory for capturing bats. Following a request from the health department, the necessary approval was granted.

The expert teams are continuing similar sampling exercises in other bat-populated areas across the state. Zoo authorities have also taken precautionary steps, ensuring that the sampling was completed before the zoo opened to visitors at 9 a.m.

Officials said it may take a few days to confirm whether bats at the Alipore Zoo are free from the Nipah virus. On Saturday, the expert team is scheduled to visit Nadia district to collect bat samples.

The intensified surveillance follows the detection of two Nipah virus cases in West Bengal earlier this month. The cases were confirmed at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL), ICMR, AIIMS Kalyani. Both patients, who are nurses, are currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital.

--IANS