VITN Blog Post #2: Zika Virus Study Reveals Possible Causes of Brain Pathology

Research conducted by scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (MPI-B) is shedding light on the mechanisms Zika carries out to cause neurological deficits in infants. The recent Zika outbreak, beginning in about 2015 mostly in South America, was particularly scary because prior to the outbreak, not much research existed on Zika’s mechanisms and processes. Zika is primarily transmitted to humans by bites from infected mosquitos, and pregnant women who contract the disease often give birth to children with microcephaly, a condition that yields an unusually small, underdeveloped brain. These neurological deficits were largely unexplained until recently when researchers at TUM and MPI-B showed that Zika commandeers cell proteins in developing nerve cells in order to reproduce their own genome. This process stunts nervous system development. To confirm their findings, the researchers showed that in the absence of these neural cell proteins, Zika replication was hindered greatly. Although this research does not directly give rise to a cure to Zika, it does provide essential insight into the mechanisms of Zika and thus, the potential ways to fight it.

Check out the full article here: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180904114636.htm

- Jennifer Shah