SARS: Another close shave as 3 test negative

According to officials in the Health Ministry, the DNA sequence matched only 22 per cent of the primers available for the SARS virus. ‘‘For the patient to be declared positive, there has to be at least above 70 per cent matching with primers that contain the genetic sequencing of the new corona virus. There was above 90 per cent match for the Goa patient,’’ said Dr S.P. Agarwal, the Director-General of Health Services (DGHS).

The 42-year-old is the second suspected SARS victim in India who required DNA sequencing. The first was Prashil Varde — the only officially declared SARS case in the country so far.

According to Dr N.K. Ganguly, Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the DNA sequencing was required as Kuross’ urine and sputum samples had tested positive in the preliminary tests conducted by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD).

‘‘The PCR probes present with the ICMR are the ones used for identifying the new corona virus. But SARS being a new disease, the tests have been found to pick up simple flu virus as well. So, DNA sequencing was required,’’ said Dr Ganguly. Acording to him, the procedure (cost Rs 8,000) for a single suspect takes about 24 to 30 hours.

According to health officials, Kuross is ‘‘afebrile and asymptomatic’’ and will be discharged from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in a few days.

Sources said Kuross had stayed with his brother in Australia, who was quarantined after being diagnosed as a suspected SARS case. The New Zealander had also stayed in Bangkok for 13 hours before reaching India.

The samples from Nausheen, a seven-year-old girl from Gurgaon, also tested negative for SARS. She was suffering from cough and cold following her return from Beijing on April 5.

Mumbai’s second possible SARS case, Sardar Manjit Singh (55), also tested negative. It turned out that Singh was not used to cold showers and had developed a fever since he skipped a warm bath on Saturday. The breathlessness, doctors say, was due to his diabetic condition and high blood pressure. Singh had deplaned at the Sahar air terminal on a flight from Bangkok. His symptoms prompted doctors at the airport to whisk him away to Kasturba Hospital on Sunday.

Singh, a businessman and resident of Lokhandwala Complex in Andheri (W), had been to Bangkok on a business trip. Deputy Mayor Babubhai Bhawanji, who visited Singh in the isolation ward on Sunday afternoon, said: ‘‘He is alright now and has agreed to stay in the hospital for further tests. His fever has subsided and doctors have ruled out SARS.’’

On April 7, Raleigh (23), an American citizen, was admitted to Kasturba Hospital with fever and a sore throat. Her blood tests proved negative and she was discharged.

Singh’s blood samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune. According to Executive Health Officer with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Hospital, Dr R.M. Kathuria: ‘‘He is fine now and it has been confirmed that he did not contract SARS.’’ Singh will be discharged in a couple of days.