CENTRE FOR ANIMAL HEALTH STUDIES

ZOONOSIS RESEARCH LABORATORY

OBJECTIVES

The laboratory serves the general public & line departments with diagnostic services for leptospirosis in man and animals for about one and half decade. In response to need from physicians and as a public health responsibility of the veterinary profession, this laboratory is extending its service to other emerging zoonotic diseases like brucellosis and anthrax. In a phased manner, the laboratory plans to expand to other zoonoses also. For facilitation of research and diagnostic service of zoonotic pathogens a necessary facilities have been created.

To establish infrastructure for diagnosis of zoonotic diseases and offer diagnostic services for human and animal samples
To perform surveillance studies with line departments for the control of Zoonotic diseases
To impart training to officers of the line Departments on recognition and control of zoonotic diseases
To offer export certification for animal and animal samples for Zoonotic diseases

Education

Biological products training offered to B.V.Sc internees, students of Diploma in Public Health, Trainees & Medical officers of the Public health Department in the diagnosis and control of zoonotic diseases
Post graduate and doctoral research workers are provided facilities and training in laboratory techniques
Life Science students are encouraged to take up small projects as part of their degree programme on cost-basis

Services Offered

Diagnostic services offered at Zoonoses Research Laboratory (All tests carry an additional GST of 18% to the cost indicated below)

S.No.	Disease	Test	Cost (Rs.)	Turn around time
1	Leptospirosis	DFM	40	Same day
		MAT	300	Same day
		IgM ELISA/ IgG ELISA	500	Same day
		PCR	500	2 days
		Culture	500	Minimum 1-8 weeks
		Immuno fluorescence	300
2	Brucellosis	Rose Bengal Plate Agglutination test	50	Same day
		Standard tube agglutination test	100	Same day for sample submitted before 10.30 a.m.
		IgM ELISA / IgM ELISA	500	Same day
		PCR	500	Two days
		Culture	500	Min 1 week
3	Anthrax	Staining	100	Same day
		Culture	500	Three days
		PCR	500	2 days
		Biological test	1000	Min 1 week
4	Animal Feeds and feeding stuffs*	Method A - Isolation of Test organism and microscopic examination (Procedure No.5.5.1 .1)	500	Three days
		Polymerase Chain Reaction to detect the test organism(Procedure No.5.5.3.2)	900	2 days
		Biochemical tests (Procedure No.5.5.2)	500	Min 1 week
		Growth of positive colonies if any in blood and Polychrome Methylene blue staining (Procedure No.5.5.3.1)	500	Four days

*Animal Feeds and feeding stuffs (Microbiological Methods) are screened for Anthrax as per IS7874 (part 3):2020 of BIS

Working Hours

Samples will be received on all working days from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Holidays: Saturdays, Sundays & Govt. holidays
For tests that carry turnaround time of same day, samples have to be submitted before 1.00 p.m.

Mode of Payment

By cash or DD drawn in favour of “The Director, Centre for Animal Health Studies, Chennai- 51” Cashless transaction facilities in the form of Point of sale machines are to be put in place shortly

Infrastructure Facility

Biosafety containment facility III
Biosafety cabinet ( Class II & Class III)
Darkfield microscope with oil immersion condenser & video monitor
B.O.D Incubator
Deep freezer (-30° C & -86° C)
Thermal cycler
Gel Doc System
IVS - Real time PCR
Electrophoresis apparatus
Pulse field Gel Electrophoresis
CO2 Incubator
2D Gel Electrophoresis

Refrigerated centrifuge
ELISA reader
Biophotometer
Maintenance of 25 strains of leptospires, other field bacterial isolates
Laboratory with 3000 sq.ft area
Ultrapure water system
Pressure filtration facility
Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography
Lateral flow assay -Easy printer & cutter
IVC cages

Research

Diagnosis of leptospirosis in man and animals
Isolation of Bacillus anthracis from soil samples and diagnosis of anthrax out breaks in animals in Tamil Nadu
Serological and molecular diagnosis of Brucellosis

Completed Schemes

ICAR scheme on " Out Reach Programme on Zoonotic Diseases"
BBSRC CIDLID scheme on "Developing a validation portfolio to exploit key virulence proteins in Fasciola species for parasite control"
Collabrotive project with Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R.Medical University on “Evaluating the immunogenicity of the SARS-CoV2 synthetic peptide in Golden Syrian Hamsters”

On-Going Schemes

TANII scheme on “One Health approach for Animal and Public Health to augment food safety and productivity”
DBT Scheme on “Developing Recombinase Polymerase assay based diagnostics for detection of pathogenic leptospires
M/s Agappe Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd, Cochin sponsored scheme on Co-Development and validation of the optimized LAMP assay to detect leptospira from clinical samples

Salient Achievements

Maintenance of 25 laboratory strains of leptospires for use as antigen panel for Microscopic Agglutination Test
Establishment of multi species serum bank for Leptospirosis
Isolation of leptospires from field samples
Detection of Leptospiral DNA in environmental samples
Development of tri and pentavalent Leptospiral vaccine for bovines
Isolation of zoonotic pathogens from field outbreaks
Detection of Bacillus anthracis from environmental samples and outbreaks by isolation and molecular methods
Molecular detection of Japanese Encephalitis Virus by real-time RT-PCR
Detection of Japanese encephalitis virus antibody by ELISA and Plaque Reduction Neutralization test for seroepidemiology of JE
Establishment of an emergency leptospirosis diagnosis laboratory at Govt. Medical College, Alappuzha during leptospirosis outbreak held in Kerala during 2018
Whole genome sequencing of Leptospira isolates (bovine and canine) Anthrax (soil) and the same has been submitted GenBank
Investigation on excretion of corona virus by bats was carried out by Reverse Transcriptase PCR
Whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 samples from Tamil Nadu in collaboration with Kings Institute, Guindy and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad

Extension Activities

Creation of awareness about zoonotic disease to public via distributing pamphlets, conducting exhibition, media: - radio & television talks
Advice to line department personnel
Addressing queries of public about Zoonoses
Participation and conducting exhibition about zoonotic disease in the Chennai science festival-2016, organized by Tamil Nadu state council for Science and Technology at Queen Mary’s college for Women
Participated in Chennai Trade fair organized by Tamil Nadu Tourism and Development Corporation in Island ground and pamphlets on zoonotic diseases distributed to public
Providing diagnostic service for human leptospirosis for serum samples received from NITTE, Mangaluru

Training / Workshop Conducted

Training to the Medical Officers on Leptospirosis, Anthrax and Brucella testing at Zoonoses Research Laboratory on 12/08/2020
Hands on training on staining of smears using stain detect BA kit to the field veterinarians from ADIU’s, Govt. of Tamil Nadu on 26-08-2019
Control of Fasciolosis : Workshop cum hands on training in the diagnosis & control was imparted to academic, field faculty of TANUVAS and line department
Training to line department officers: Diagnosis and control of leptospirosis to public Health Officers, Dept of Public Health under One Health Approach on 08.12.2020
Field Veterinarians: Workshop cum hands on training in the diagnosis of Leptospirosis was conducted to Veterinarians, Animal Husbandry Department
Seminar: One day seminar on bovine zoonoses was organized for field Veterinarians
ICAR ORPZD faculties: Capacity building workshop on diagnosis of Leptospirosis in human and animals was conducted to scientists under the Outreach Programme on Zoonotic Diseases funded by Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Training on Laboratory diagnosis of Leptospirosis was imparted to research scholars from Manipal centre for virus research. Manipal University, Karnataka,
Orientation Programme on NIPAH virus preparedness was imparted to field Veterinarians and faculty of TANUVAS on 8.6.2018
Hands on training on presumptive detection of anthrax bacillus by Stain Detect-BA Kit was imparted to Veterinarian at VC&RI, Tiruneveli on 26.08.2019
Hands on training on Laboratory handling of leptospira including culture and diagnostic testing was imparted to research scholars from Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat
Demonstration and hands on training for use of Biodot Lateral flow assay device was imparted on 03.12.2020
Imparted Training on diagnosis and control of leptospirosis to public Health Officers, Dept of Public Health under One Health Approach on 08.12.2020
Demonstration of 2D Gel electrophoresis on proteomic analysis
Demo of digital droplet PCR application on diagnosis of infectious diseases on 03.11.20
Hands on training on “One Health” was imparted to post graduate students from M.G.R Medical University

Research Thrust Areas

Development of cost-effective vaccines for bovine leptospirosis
Development of cost-effective diagnostics in the form of penside kits
Epidemiology of zoonotic diseases like leptospirosis, brucellosis and anthrax for the state of Tamilnadu and identification of specific risks factors
Determination of economic impact of such diseases
Development of diagnostic kit for SARS COVID-19 in animals
Diagnostic service for Rabies to both human and animal

FACULTY

Dr. T. M. A. Senthil Kumar Professor and Head
Dr. K. Manimaran, Associate Professor

The Professor and Head,
Zoonoses Research Laboratory, TANUVAS,
Madhavaram Milk Colony, Chennai – 600051.
Phone: +91-44 - 2555 9306, 2555 0551
E-mail: leptolab@tanuvas.org.in