KOLKATA: The National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) has started conducting random RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests among the bats at the Zoological Garden at Alipore in south Kolkata to check whether these animals are carriers of Nipah virus.
It was learnt on Saturday that a team from NIMR collected blood and swab samples from the bats at the zoo on Thursday and Friday mornings. The team collected the samples and left at the break of dawn.
To trace the source of Nipah, bats are being tested using RT-PCR in the state. Recently, some bats from the Madhyamgram, Barasat and Basirhat areas in North 24 Parganas districts have been tested. In Kolkata, the Alipore Zoological Garden is the only place with a significant bat population.