Tag: Zika-virus
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Research shows efficacy of malarial drug Chloroquine in treating Zika infection
Zika virus remains a major global health risk. In most adults, Zika causes mild flu-like symptoms. But in pregnant women, the virus can cause serious birth defects in babies including microcephaly a neurological condition in which newborns have unusually small heads and fail to develop properly. There is no treatment or way to reverse the…
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Analysis of interactome of Zika virus infected neural cells shows altered expression of more than 500 proteins
Zika virus (ZIKV) interferes with the cellular machinery controlling cell division and alters the expression of hundreds of genes responsible for guiding the formation and development of brain cells, according to findings of research published in Scientific Reports. Zika virus structure. Credit: Wikipedia / David Goodwill The association between Zika virus (ZIKV) infection and microcephaly has…
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Zika virus research: Structure of immature virus revealed
Researchers at Purdue University have determined the high-resolution structure of immature Zika virus, a step toward better understanding how the virus infects host cells and spreads. Purdue researchers have determined the high-resolution structure of the immature Zika virus. This composite image of the surface (left), and cross-sectional region (right), reflect the new findings. Research into…
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Zika virus lineage and evolution
The Zika virus remains a mystery. Isolated from macaque monkeys in the Ziika Forest in Uganda in 1947, the virus was shown to infect humans not long after, but it was identified as a benign disease, with mild symptoms. For this reason, it was not heavily studied until almost 70 years later when it appeared…
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Zika virus infection can cause Glaucoma in infants
A team of researchers in Brazil and at the Yale School of Public Health has published the first report demonstrating that the Zika virus can cause glaucoma in infants who were exposed to the virus during gestation. Cross-section of Zika virus, with capsid layer (pink), membrane layer (purple), and RNA genome (yellow)Credit: Wikipedia, David Goodwill…
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Understanding how Zika virus interacts with human antibody C10 paves way for new therapeutic target
As Zika virus spreads throughout the world, the call for rapid development of therapeutics to treat Zika virus rings loud and clear. Taking a step further in identifying a possible therapeutic candidate, a team of researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS), in collaboration with scientists from the University of North Carolina, have discovered the mechanism…
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Current vaccination trials using Zika Purified Inactivated Virus (ZPIV) vaccine
The first of five early stage clinical trials to test the safety and ability of an investigational Zika vaccine candidate called the Zika Purified Inactivated Virus (ZPIV) vaccine to generate an immune system response has begun at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) Clinical Trial Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. The experimental Zika…
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Mathematical model suggests increase in Zika virus outbreaks following Dengue fever vaccination
Vaccinating against dengue fever could increase outbreaks of Zika, suggests new research out of York University and Xi’an Jiaotong University in China. The research identifies a potentially serious public health concern. More than a third of the world’s population lives in areas where dengue is endemic and cases of co-infection with Zika have already been…
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Research finds effects of Zika virus on male reproductive system in mice
But a new study in mice suggests that Zika infection also may have worrisome consequences for men that interfere with their ability to have children. The research indicates that the virus targets the male reproductive system. Three weeks after male mice were infected with Zika, their testicles had shrunk, levels of their sex hormones had…
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Zika virus evolution and spread
In a study published in Pathogens and Global Health, researchers have modelled the evolutionary development and diversity of the Zika virus to better understand how infection spreads between populations and how the virus reacts with the immune system. Such an understanding is essential if an effective vaccine is to be developed. First found in Uganda…
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