In a study published Tuesday in Cell Reports, researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis describe the effect of Zika virus infections in the eyes of mouse fetuses, newborns and adults. Then, 28-days later, the tears of the infected mice contained genetic material from the virus and they developed eye problems similar to some Zika patients.
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“We think that the risk for travellers and athletes is low, but it’s not zero”, said World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jasarevic.
Study co-senior author Dr. Rajendra Apte said the researchers “are planning studies in people to find out whether infectious virus persists in the cornea or other compartments of the eye, because that would have implications for corneal transplantation”.
About one-third of babies born with the Zika virus have inflammation of the eyes, sometimes rendering them blind.
While it is known that Zika can be transmitted sexually, scientists believe there may be other pathways for the spread of the virus.
The majority of Zika cases have been found in South America and the Caribbean, but it’s also been found in mosquitos in Miami.
Mouse research can be a catalyst for research in people, but the results do not necessarily translate the same way.
For the study, researchers gathered several hundred mosquitoes in four areas of Rio and fed them Zika-infected blood. Although the researchers don’t know exactly how the virus is traveling from the blood to the eye, these new findings suggest why some infected adults develop conjunctivitis (redness and itchiness of the eyes) and, in rare cases, an eye infection called uveitis (that can be serious and lead to vision loss). He said there might be a certain window when human tears could be highly infectious and those who come into contact with it can facilitate the spread of the virus.
The study, published September 6 in Cell Reports, describes the effect of Zika virus infection in the eyes of mouse fetuses, newborns and adults.
– There are now seven travel-related cases of Zika in Orange County. It has also been found in genital tract swabs and fluid inside the eye, health officials have said.
Maloney joined local health experts at Orange County Community College, which is conducting mosquito surveillance for Orange County, to call for passage of $1.9 billion in emergency funding to combat Zika. According to the CDC: “If you get infected with Zika and a mosquito bites you, you can pass the virus to the mosquito”.
But Aude Vazart, a French engineer who gave birth in Singapore last week, told Reuters leaving the island to avoid Zika was “too extreme”.
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The health department recommends taking prevention methods like wearing long sleeved clothing, using bug spray that contains DEET, removing standing water from yards and using insecticides specifically intended for mosquitos.
