Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory has developed indigenous diagnostic reagent, group specific antigens, for testing bird flu virus. This is being perceived as a major scientific milestone.
With this development, HSADL has become the only lab in the country, which is equipped with facility to test suspected avian influenza (bird flu) samples. Previously, the laboratory had to import the entire cache of diagnostic reagents from countries like USA and Australia.
The import was very costly and recent scare of bird flu made the reagents a rare commodity. The HSADL breakthrough has not only solved the problem of availability but also saved money.
"Six months back the batch of reagents imported from USA had cost us about Rs 188,000. Now, similar reagents can be produced for Rs 10,000 in our laboratory," said H K Pradhan, joint director and in-charge, HSADL.
He added that research is on to make these diagnostic reagents more effective. The achievement has come at right time as the laboratory is currently flooded with testing samples for bird flu virus from all parts of the country.
The laboratory has tested more than 15,000 samples for the virus this year. Most of these tests were during the months of November and December. Last week the laboratory tested 1,898 samples, which stood at 1,490 in the earlier week.
The increase in testing samples is due to the red alert issued by the Union Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department keeping in view the arrival of migratory birds in the country. Most of these birds have come from the flu hit central Asia. Pradhan informed that by now none of the samples have tested positive.