Bat survey: No active Nipah virus in any, antibodies found in one

Kolkata: While no active Nipah virus was found in bats during the sero-surveillance in Barasat, experts detected antibodies in one bat, indicating past infection. Teams from the health and forest departments, along with a team from NIV Pune, launched the survey on bats in a Barasat locality to trace the origin of the current Nipah spread."The team began the survey by capturing nine bats from Kuberpur, in Madhyamgram. Three different types of swab samples were collected from each bat and tested through RT-PCR, with all samples returning negative. However, antibodies were detected in the blood of one bat, indicating past exposure to Nipah but no active infection at present," said a health department official.
Earlier, the team visited the home of a 55-year-old woman from Barasat's Kazipara who died in Dec after she developed Nipah-like symptoms. The woman died before a confirmatory test could be conducted. During the visit, family members said the deceased consumed raw date palm sap before she fell ill. Sources said the two Nipah-infected nurses were involved in her treatment.The team from the National Institute of One Health, used geo-location data to trap nine bats near the woman's residence. While antibodies were detected in one bat, all 24 date palm sap samples collected from the area tested negative. Experts said fruit bats are the most common natural reservoir of the Nipah virus, transmitting the infection to humans via contaminated fresh date palm sap or fruits. They said a survey was important to prevent future outbreaks.Earlier, concerns emerged that the origin of the outbreak could be Gugragachhi in Krishnaganj, Nadia. The 25-year-old Nipah-infected female nurse stayed in the village to attend a wedding.