A new study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Emory University sheds light on the biology and possible physiology behind Zika, a virus that has been linked to babies born with abnormally smaller heads.
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“Recent papers have found virus particles in fetal brain tissue and amniotic fluid, so as the scientific data has emerged most scientists have not had any doubt that the Zika virus is responsible for the brain injury”, Schleiss said. One fact the conspiracy theorists had not accounted for is that microcephaly can’t be detected in ultrasounds until very late in the pregnancy, which may be one reason why Colombia had not seen any cases until now.
“Despite mild clinical symptoms, Zika virus infection during pregnancy appears to be associated with grave outcomes, including fetal death, placental insufficiency, fetal growth restriction and central nervous system injury”, they wrote in their report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. But it raised alarm when Brazilian health officials reported an apparent surge in babies born with microcephaly, which can signal their brains didn’t develop properly.
Ming and her team found that the Zika virus attacks nerve stem cells-the building blocks of the brain-causing those cells to create more of the Zika virus. Brazil is investigating more than 4,200 additional suspected cases of microcephaly.
Referring to the findings of the study as Zika Virus Congenital Syndrome, Nielson said that microcephaly could also be one of the many birth abnormalities which have been found till now in link with the mosquito-borne virus. Nielsen said she and her colleagues are continuing to enroll women for ongoing research and will follow their babies’ development.
“Our results clearly show that Zika can directly infect human neuronal progenitor cells in vitro (…) with high efficiency”, the study concludes.
As humans are typically infected by Zika virus carried by mosquitoes, the researchers also grew their Zika virus stoc in mosquito cells for a few days before applying the virus onto the human cells.
Nationwide, there have been 153 cases reported, all acquired outside the country.
Three U.S. universities that make up a task force had set out to search for a potential biological link showing the way that the virus could cause fetuses’ normal brain development to be blocked.
The findings, published Friday in Cell Stem Cell, detailed exposure of cells that ultimately contribute to the formation of the brain.
The test is also available in Visayas and Mindanao. Tests showed 72 were actively infected with the virus.
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The current outbreak of the virus started in Brazil in May 2014, following which an estimated 1.5 million people are believed to be infected in the country, while a total of 46 nations have reported some level of Zika infection so far.
