Amid southern california’s recent record-breaking heat wave and fast-moving wildfires, public health officials reported the third locally acquired case of dengue fever in the los angeles area. Although the events seem unrelated, they actually are connected—and for troubling reasons.
Tag: Zika Virus
How human cells become Zika virus factories
Scientists solve mystery of how Zika virus targets key immune cell. New finding shed light on how to stop virus from spreading.
Scientists Reveal Details of Antibodies that Work Against Zika Virus
ROCKVILLE, MD – The Zika outbreak of 2015 and 2016 is having lasting impacts on children whose mothers became infected with the virus while they were pregnant.
Cornea appears to resist infection from novel coronavirus
Although viruses such as herpes simplex can infect the eye’s cornea and Zika virus has been found in corneal tissue and tears, new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests the cornea can resist infection from the novel coronavirus.
Scientists Uncover How Zika Virus Can Spread through Sexual Contact
Zika virus is capable of replicating and spreading infectious particles within the outermost cells lining the vaginal tract, according to new research.
Why Zika virus caused most harmful brain damage to Brazilian newborns
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the strain of Zika that circulated in Brazil during the microcephaly epidemic that began in 2015 was particularly damaging to the developing brain.
Zika Virus’ Key into Brain Cells ID’d, Leveraged to Block Infection and Kill Cancer Cells
Two different UC San Diego research teams identified the same molecule — αvβ5 integrin — as Zika virus’ key to brain cell entry. They found ways to take advantage of the integrin to both block Zika virus from infecting cells and turn it into something good: a way to shrink brain cancer stem cells.
Researchers discover how Zika virus remodels its host cell to boost viral production
Researchers in China have discovered how a Zika virus protein reshapes its host cell to aid viral replication. The study, which will be published December 23 in the Journal of Cell Biology, reveals that the viral protein NS1 converts an interior cellular compartment called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) into a protective region where the virus can survive and replicate. Blocking this process could be a novel therapeutic strategy to treat patients infected with Zika or similar viral pathogens, such as the yellow fever and dengue viruses.
More Nitrogen in Mosquito Diet Reduces Its Ability to Transmit Zika
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Feed mosquitoes more nitrogen when they’re young, and the adults are less likely to transmit the Zika virus, University of Florida scientists say. Now, researchers want to know why, and they’re determined to discover how the findings…