ICMR detects Nipah virus presence in bats in Wayanad

• The Kerala government said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informed them about the presence of the Nipah virus in bats in the Wayanad district of the state.

• In September, the Nipah virus killed two people and infected four others in Kerala’s Kozhikode district.

• The outbreak of the virus this year was the fourth in the state since 2018. 

• Meanwhile, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said the monoclonal antibodies, which are the only treatment against Nipah infection, will be developed indigenously to combat the deadly virus.

• The monoclonal antibodies were imported from Australia where they were made according to the Nipah variant present there.

Nipah virus

• Nipah virus (NiV), a zoonotic virus (transmitted from animals to humans), has a mortality rate as high as 70 per cent and that is considered to be a pathogen of pandemic potential.

• Nipah virus is a type of Henipavirus naturally held in fruit bats. The virus can cause illness in pigs and humans, and can be spread to humans from animals, infected food and other people with the virus.

• Fruit bats of the family Pteropodidae – particularly species belonging to the Pteropus genus – are the natural hosts for Nipah virus.

• Similar to SARS-CoV-2, NiV is an RNA virus that is transmitted by respiratory droplets. Because of the global pandemic of COVID-19, there is heightened concern regarding respiratory pathogens.

• In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (sub-clinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. The virus can also cause severe disease in animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers.

• Infected people initially develop symptoms including fever, headaches, myalgia (muscle pain), vomiting, and sore throat. This can be followed by dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness, and neurological signs that indicate acute encephalitis. Some people can also experience atypical pneumonia and severe respiratory problems, including acute respiratory distress.

• Encephalitis and seizures occur in severe cases, progressing to coma within 24 to 48 hours. Most people who survive acute encephalitis make a full recovery, but long-term neurologic conditions have been reported in survivors. 

• Nipah virus was first recognised in 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia. It was also recognised in Bangladesh in 2001, and nearly annual outbreaks have occurred in that country since. 

• There were outbreaks in India, especially in Kerala, in the last four years, and has so far claimed nearly 20 lives.

• It has been listed as one of the viruses most likely to cause the next pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

• Currently, there are no vaccines licensed for the prevention of Nipah disease. At least eight experimental preventive candidate vaccines against henipaviruses have been evaluated in pre-clinical animal models. Experimental monoclonal antibodies have been developed to treat Nipah virus disease under compassionate use.

• In March 2022, scientists at the University of Texas announced development of a vaccine that could protect against the deadly Nipah virus in just three days.

What are monoclonal antibodies?

• Antibodies are proteins generated by the immune system. They are one of the primary ways the body defends itself against disease.

• Polyclonal antibodies are mixtures of naturally occurring antibodies expressed from different immune cells. They are extracted from human or animal blood and are used in serum or convalescent plasma-based therapies to treat diseases including COVID-19, rabies and snakebite.

• Monoclonal antibodies are single antibodies expressed from identical immune cells that can be manufactured at commercial scale using cell systems. In simpler terms, monoclonal antibodies are immune system proteins that are created in the lab.

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