Telangana veterinary varsity keen on Covid-19 lab

Hyderabad: Another testing lab may come up in the state capital, as part of Centre's increasing efforts to spread the coverage of labs to screen and test samples of Covid suspects/patients.

The P V Narasimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University veterinary microbiology and biotechnology centre, Rajendranagar, beside the directorate of animal husbandry in the government has been asked to apprise the Centre of their various facilities for setting up a Covid-19 testing lab. Accordingly, it has submitted a report as per a proforma, detailing various facilities and available manpower to set up the lab.

"As per the directions, we have filled the pro forma alongside other veterinary colleges and reciprocated to the Department of Animal Husbandry, Government of India, through the State animal husbandry department. We are awaiting further communication in this regard,"informed Prof Gopal Reddy, Registrar of Veterinary University,

It is learnt that the pro forma listed as many as eight queries regarding Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests. The veterinary university has provided all the relevant information to the State department of animal husbandry and expressed its willingness to have a testing centre on its premises. "As far as our college is concerned, we have biotechnology lab with only BSL-2 type safety status. For testing samples to zero on presence of Covid-19, they certainly prefer BSL-3 facility. The biotechnology experts are there in the college. There is nothing to be worried about conducting the tests but at the same time it also demands precautions. Facility like BSL-3 ensures much safer atmosphere to conduct such operations, Prof Reddy added.

"Collective tests of BSL-2 and RT-PCR would help determine whether the sample is negative or positive. If the facility is lagging behind the required standards to operate, the government can elevate the status from BSL-2 to BSL-3 allowing the lab to conduct Covid-19 related tests," contended Dr Katam Sridhar, the president of Telangana Veterinary Graduates Association.

What is BSL3 Lab?

Biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) is applicable to clinical, diagnostic, teaching, research, or production facilities where work is performed with agents that may cause serious or potentially lethal disease through inhalation, to the personnel, and may contaminate the environment. Air from the laboratory must be filtered before it can be recirculated. Biosafety level 3 is commonly used for research and diagnostic work involving various microbes which can be transmitted by aerosols and/or cause severe disease.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in its 'Laboratory Biosafety guidance related to Coronavirus diseases 2019' recoomends that handling of material with high concentrations of live virus (such as when performing virus propagation, virus isolation or neutralization assays) or large volumes of infectious materials should be performed only by properly trained and competent personnel in laboratories capable of meeting additional essential containment requirements and practices, that is, BSL3.