Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has achieved a major stride in Nipah research, with its Institute of Advanced Virology at Thonnakkal developing a new way to detect the infection. The pseudovirus testing system, which can identify Nipah virus in both humans and animals, was created under the leadership of Institute Director Dr E Sreekumar, in collaboration with Dr Anita from the Department of Microbiology at Kozhikode Medical College.

The discovery holds great promise for further research. It could also mark a decisive step in the development and distribution of a Nipah vaccine, said Dr Sreekumar.

Bats are generally believed to be the carriers of the Nipah virus, but this has not been conclusively proven. Some recent cases were confirmed in individuals with no direct contact with bats. At the same time, not everyone living in bat-inhabited areas was infected. This raises the suspicion that there could be other intermediary animals transmitting the virus between bats and humans. The pseudovirus testing system could play a vital role in identifying such carriers.

The test can also help determine whether individuals listed in Nipah contact-tracing registers had been previously exposed to the virus. Using pseudovirion technology, this test can be carried out in existing BSL-2 laboratories, unlike live-virus testing which requires higher biosafety levels.

Currently, Nipah infections in humans are primarily detected in the early stages through RT-PCR and LAMP tests. These methods can identify the virus at the onset and confirm the disease. The pseudovirus test, however, works differently: it detects the antibodies that the human body produces in response to the virus.