Department of Microbiology

Faculty

Senior Resident

Staff

Academic Course

MD (Microbiology)

Patient Care Services

Bacteriology and Serology Unit

Annual investigation report for the year 2024 (1st Jan to 31st Dec)

TIER 1 & TIER 2 EQAS (IAMM & CMC VELLORE)

Protozoology Unit

Routine clinical & diagnostic service to the patient - the unit provides diagnostic & clinical service to the patient throughout the year on Malaria, Kala-azar and other protozoan infections. It also serves as a referral unit for protozoan infections.

Incidence of malaria detected and treated (2024)

Routine diagnostic service to the patients of Kala-azar / rk-39 test (2024)

Entomology Unit

Daily activities:

1. Entomological survey of dengue vectors
2. Maintenance of Aedes sp. colony
3. Insecticide susceptibility bioassay of adult and larvae of mosquito vectors

Helminthology Unit

Filaria OPD attendance (2024): 1384

Unit Laboratory (2024)

Mycology Unit

Number of investigations (2024)

Virology Unit

Routine Activities of Virology Unit

• Arbo viruses
  • Serological diagnosis of
    1. Dengue NS1 detection by ELISA
    2. Anti-Dengue IgM ELISA
    3. Anti-Dengue IgG ELISA
    4. Anti-Chikungunya IgM ELISA
    5. Anti-Japanese encephalitis IgM ELISA
  • Molecular Diagnosis of
    1. Chikungunya virus RNA detection
    2. Dengue virus RNA detection
    3. Dengue serotyping
• Hepatitis viruses
  • Serological diagnosis of
    1. Anti-HCV antibodies ELISA / RAPID
    2. Hepatitis B s antigen ELISA/ RAPID
    3. Anti-HAV IgM ELISA
    4. Anti-HEV IgM ELISA
    5. Hepatitis B e antigen ELISA
    6. Anti HBs antibody titre ELISA
    7. Anti HBc Antibody ELISA
• Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV)
  • Serological diagnosis of
    1. HIV 1 and 2 by RAPID, ELISA and Western blot test (as per NACO guideline)
  • ICTC - Routine testing of HIV among patients referred from STI clinic
  • NRL -
    1. Conducts proficiency testing and panel sera distribution (HIV EQAS) to the HIV State Reference Laboratories (SRL) of West Bengal, Bihar, Sikkim and Chhattisgarh
    2. Confirmation of Indeterminate and discordant samples by Western Blot test
    3. Confirmation of HIV 2 by Western Blot test (NRL is also designated as Referral Lab for the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Sikkim and Jharkhand for HIV 2 diagnosis)
• SARS CoV2
  1. Molecular diagnosis (RT-PCR) - Almost 100000 (One lac) SARS CoV-2 RT-PCR test has been done.
  2. Rapid Antigen Test (Lateral flow assay)
  3. SARS CoV 2 IgG by ELISA testing
  4. Regular QC test of different RAT kit, RNA Extraction kit and RT-PCR kit done.
  5. Acting as State nodal Center for Whole Genome Sequencing of SARS CoV-2 virus.
• Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) Panel (other than Arbo viral causes)
  • Molecular testing of
    1. Scrub typhus
    2. Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2
    3. Leptospira
    4. Streptococcus pneumoniae
    5. Hemophillus influenzae
    6. Neisseria meningitides
  • Serological testing (IgM) of
    1. Scrub typhus
    2. Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2
    3. Leptospira
• Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) Panel
  • Molecular testing of
    1. Influenza A + B Flu typing
    2. Sub typing of Influenza A H1N1, pdm009,H3N2
    3. Para Influenza (1,2,3&4)
    4. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
    5. Adeno virus
    6. Entero virus
    7. Rhino virus
    8. Human Metapneumo virus (HMPV)
    9. Human Boca Virus
• Others
  • Epstein Barr virus (EBV)
  • Cytomegalo virus (CMV)
• Next Generation Sequencing

Since January 2020, Virology unit is designated as one of the State Reference Laboratories of NVHCP programme for several Health districts of West Bengal.

Yearly testing details (2024)

Ongoing Research Projects

Recent Publications

1. Das Sarkar M, Damke S, Ray K, Roy H. Introduction of ‘Capsule course’ in Faculty Development Programme for the ‘Tutors & Residents’ in a Medical College of Kolkata. J Indian Med Assoc. 2024;122(3): March. ISSN No (Print) 0019-5847.
2. Kanta S, Chakraborty B, Tripathi A, Mukherjee S. Detection of antibiogram pattern and prevalence of blaNDMandblaVIM genes among carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli isolates in a tertiary care hospital. Asian J Med Sci. 2024;15(10):115-120.
3. Guha SK, Sardar AA, Misra AK, Saha P, Samanta A, Maji D, et al. Active Community-Based Case Finding of Endemic Leishmaniasis in West Bengal, India. J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2024. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44197-024-00260-2.
4. Guha SK, Sardar AA, Saha P, Chatterjee M, Jana K, Samanta A, et al. Challenges for maintaining post-elimination phase of visceral leishmaniasis control programme in India: A field-based study. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2024;18(3):e0012028.
5. Acharya A, Naskar A, Chaudhury A, Sardar AA, Samanta A, Guha SK, et al. Prevalence of polymorphisms in marker genes associated with antimalarial drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum following 10 years of artemisinin-based combination therapy implementation in urban Kolkata. Trop Parasitol. 2024;14:23-9.