Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly, a condition defined by unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems.
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Health officials warn that Zika may be related to the birth defect microcephaly and urge pregnant women to avoid travel to countries hard-hit with the disease, including many South and Central American countries.
Scientists looked at three brain cell types, and found that 90 percent of human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) were infected within three days – with many of them already dead within that time.
“We are trying to fill the knowledge gap between the infection and potential neurological defects”, said first author Tang.
After working with cells grown in the lab over the past month, researchers led by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that Zika attacks the cell type that makes up the brain’s outer layer or cortex.
A worrying new study indicates that we may be only scratching the surface with regards to the negative effects of the sudden Zika virus outbreak. “These findings may correlate with disrupted brain development, but direct evidence for a link between Zika virus and microcephaly is more likely to come from clinical studies”, the statement added.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed a case of Zika virus in a man from Missouri who traveled to Haiti, a known area of Zika transmission.
Asia has seen only a sprinkling of cases of the virus, but a surge in Latin America this year has pushed the United Nations health agency to declare Zika a global health emergency. The department is providing area doctors, including obstetricians, up-to-date information about the virus, including questions to ask patients who may be exposed to Zika and common symptoms, said spokeswoman Lisa de Hernandez. If such a substance can be turned into a drug, it might be useful to give to pregnant women in high-risk areas who’ve been bitten by mosquitoes, he said.
Other experts say the results are alarming, given the scope of the Zika outbreak. Brazil, Colombia and El Salvador have all reported an increase in the number of cases of the disorder as Zika has swept through their populations. But the CDC and other health organizations say the evidence of a link between Zika and microcephaly is growing. Others will develop fever, rash, joint pain and pink eye.
Researchers also found that infected cells pump out more virus.
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“But as the Zika virus story has unfolded there has been speculation about the mechanism, which this study addresses”.
