<p>Molbio Diagnostics, whose R&D wing - Bigtec Labs is in Rajajinagar, has received the Drugs Controller General of India's approval for Truenat Scrub T, its chip-based real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. </p>.<p>The PCR test for the detection of scrub typhus bacteria in blood, serum and plasma specimens leads to early detection of infection as the existing IgM ELISA test for detecting scrub typhus detects antibodies which take time to form in the body of the infected. </p>.<p>As per a PLOS study published in July this year, 18,781 confirmed cases of scrub typhus were reported in 138 hospital-based and two community-based studies in the last decade. Of them, 1,669, or 8.8%, cases were from Karnataka, making it the third-most affected state. </p>.<p>Once the bacteria enters the blood stream, the disease is marked by acute febrile illness, body aches and disorientation. If left undetected, it can lead to multiple organ failure and affect the brain. If detected, it can be treated with antibiotics in just two weeks. </p>.<p>"Scrub typhus is a disease that's mostly present in rural areas as it is caused by chigger mites, which are present on plants," Chandrasekhar Nair, Director and Chief Technical Officer, Molbio Diagnostics, told <em>DH</em>. </p>.<p>The rapid tests used to detect scrub typhus lack sensitivity while ELISA tests (with a 96-well plate) are done in a lab in six to eight hours (pre-processing and actual run). The samples are transported to a higher throughput lab to get the required volume. Truenat takes less than an hour, he explained. </p>.<p>ELISA tests look for antibody response to scrub typhus infection in the body while Truenat detects the DNA, Nair said. "We aren't looking for an immune response but are looking for DNA so that early diagnosis is possible," he added. </p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>State has 200 devices </strong></p>.<p>Karnataka has deployed 200 Truenat devices (150 in the public sector and 50 in the private sector) to test tuberculosis.</p>.<p>The same devices were diverted to test Covid-19 at the height of the second wave in the state. They can be used to test scrub typhus, too. </p>.<p>Curiously, the state surveillance unit only collates statistics and isn't tasked with taking measures to check the disease spread, officials said. </p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>
<p>Molbio Diagnostics, whose R&D wing - Bigtec Labs is in Rajajinagar, has received the Drugs Controller General of India's approval for Truenat Scrub T, its chip-based real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. </p>.<p>The PCR test for the detection of scrub typhus bacteria in blood, serum and plasma specimens leads to early detection of infection as the existing IgM ELISA test for detecting scrub typhus detects antibodies which take time to form in the body of the infected. </p>.<p>As per a PLOS study published in July this year, 18,781 confirmed cases of scrub typhus were reported in 138 hospital-based and two community-based studies in the last decade. Of them, 1,669, or 8.8%, cases were from Karnataka, making it the third-most affected state. </p>.<p>Once the bacteria enters the blood stream, the disease is marked by acute febrile illness, body aches and disorientation. If left undetected, it can lead to multiple organ failure and affect the brain. If detected, it can be treated with antibiotics in just two weeks. </p>.<p>"Scrub typhus is a disease that's mostly present in rural areas as it is caused by chigger mites, which are present on plants," Chandrasekhar Nair, Director and Chief Technical Officer, Molbio Diagnostics, told <em>DH</em>. </p>.<p>The rapid tests used to detect scrub typhus lack sensitivity while ELISA tests (with a 96-well plate) are done in a lab in six to eight hours (pre-processing and actual run). The samples are transported to a higher throughput lab to get the required volume. Truenat takes less than an hour, he explained. </p>.<p>ELISA tests look for antibody response to scrub typhus infection in the body while Truenat detects the DNA, Nair said. "We aren't looking for an immune response but are looking for DNA so that early diagnosis is possible," he added. </p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>State has 200 devices </strong></p>.<p>Karnataka has deployed 200 Truenat devices (150 in the public sector and 50 in the private sector) to test tuberculosis.</p>.<p>The same devices were diverted to test Covid-19 at the height of the second wave in the state. They can be used to test scrub typhus, too. </p>.<p>Curiously, the state surveillance unit only collates statistics and isn't tasked with taking measures to check the disease spread, officials said. </p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>
