The Zika virus may be the cause of joint deformities in the arms and legs of newborns (arthrogryposis), according to a report published online August 9 in The BMJ. The condition means that babies are born without joint contractures, resulting in their joints being stiff or unable to move.
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The USC researchers said they’re trying to learn more about NS4A and NS4B through mouse studies and brain organoids, which are artificially grown tissues resembling the brain.
Put more simply, people in the purple regions are only likely to get Zika if the virus is brought into the country by other residents or tourists who have visited now infected zones.
Study authors still can’t say for sure Zika caused the arthrogryposis, but abnormalities seen on the brain scans are what would be expected with a congenital Zika syndrome infection.
The children were also tested to rule out five other main infectious causes of microcephaly – toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus, rubella, syphilis and HIV.
Brain scans showed that all of the children had signs of brain calcification.
Accounting for a host of often-overlooked drivers of transmission, a team of University of Kansas researchers has mapped Zika risk around the world with unprecedented resolution while considering more factors than previous models.
“For each area, we asked, ‘Is it mosquito exposure, climate or socioeconomic variables like accessibility for people to travel from areas where Zika is endemic and spread the virus upon their return?'” said Abdallah Samy, lead researcher from the KU Biodiversity Institute.
She added that scientists were now beginning to establish the “whole spectrum” of the syndrome.
Zhao is an assistant professor of research physiology and biophysics at USC.
That the association with arthrogryposis doesn’t come from the joints but from nerves is not surprising as Zika has proven to have a strong affinity for nerve cells, Adalja said. In a new study, scientists have identified two Zika proteins they believe may be responsible for microcephaly.
The findings recently were posted to the Zika Fast Track site and published in Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, an worldwide journal of biological and biomedical research based in Brazil, where the current outbreak has been centered since 2015.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on Zika and pregnancy.
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This Q & A will tell you what you need to know about Zika.
