He is a professor of pathology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “These travelers have gotten the virus from mosquito bites and some non-travelers got Zika through sex with a traveler”. “It suggests the sort of immunity that occurs naturally is sufficient”. One theory is that if a fetus is infected, it will pump virus back into mom’s blood, O’Connor said.
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Two monkeys injected with Zika during their first trimester of pregnancy sustained infections for 29 days and 71 days, compared to about 10 days for the non-pregnant monkeys.
That extended period has implications for the severe impacts of Zika infection during pregnancy, according to the scientists.
The mosquito-borne virus is linked to birth defects, including microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and incomplete brain development.
Now, mice and humans are obviously different, and one of the co-authors concedes that fact but says the findings “raise optimism” that a vaccine for humans may not be too far off.
However, experts note that research on animals often fails to produce similar results in humans.
“We now have our first case of microcephaly, so when are they going to start the process?”
But it could also offer an opportunity to monitor the risks to a fetus without using invasive and risky tests, said O’Connor.
“It also indicates that people who are already infected with Zika virus are not susceptible to future infection, for example during a future pregnancy”.
The data help to illustrate how much Zika is worrying pregnant women in the region, said Abigail Aiken of the University of Texas at Austin, one of the study’s authors. “CDC also recommends that a pregnant woman with a history of Zika virus and her provider should consider additional ultrasounds”.
The study was published June 28 in the journal Nature Communications.
Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Surgeon General Celeste Philip are participating in a Zika roundtable discussion in Palm Beach County Tuesday morning to discuss the issue. And researchers reported last Wednesday that fears of Zika-related birth defects may be driving up abortion rates in Latin American countries affected by the virus. Researchers established a connection between the birth defect and the Zika virus, which is primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, earlier this year.
Additionally, the CDC said couples should abstain or wear condoms for eight weeks if the female has confirmed or suspected Zika, or if the male traveled to a country with a Zika outbreak but has no symptoms.
In the most recent case, the Florida Department of Health said it’s working with the baby’s family to connect them with services provided through the state’s Early Steps program.
Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on the Zika virus.
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This Q&A will tell you what you need to know about Zika.
