After heated debate among scientists following the initial scare over the outbreak, agencies including the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have concluded that the virus can cause microcephaly in infants of mothers infected with Zika.
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The findings, published Wednesday in the British journal Nature, were based on research in mouse models, human stem cells and cerebral organoids, or miniature brains grown in vitro.
The mosquito-borne disease has been linked to serious birth defects and a variety of neurological conditions, including a form of paralysis called Guillain-Barré syndrome, reports show. The first four have fully recovered but the two pregnant women will be monitored throughout their pregnancies for signs of birth defects, the health department said.
The fact that Zika isn’t able to infect all mice strains points to genetics playing a key role in determining why some people escape Zika’s wrath and others don’t.
“There are so many open questions”, says Xu. The State Laboratory has also been approved by the CDC to provide a second type of testing for patients who are no longer actively sick or who never had symptoms of the virus.
“It was kind of a surprise”, says Zhiheng Xu, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who led the study.
Meanwhile, officials in Hillsborough County began talking about an increase in funding to combat the virus. “However, nearly all cell death was found in neurons other than neural progenitor cells”.
As expected, the virus infected the neural progenitor cells, and infected brains revealed expression of genes related to viral entry, altered immune response, and cell death. A further 3,433 cases are still being investigated. In general, the symptoms known to be caused by the virus tend to be mild.
Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, told reporters that she still prefers Obama’s proposal but has reached agreement with Missouri Republican Sen. Symptoms usually occur two to seven days after infection.
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A person can become infected with Zika through the bite of an Aedes-species mosquito, sexual intercourse with an infected person or sharing bodily fluids with an infected person. It is not considered unsafe for most people. The virus is spreading rapidly in Latin America, while Thailand and the Philippines are the most Zika-infected countries in Asia.
