Scientists predict a new outbreak of the Zika virus: it destroys the brains of babies

Researchers warn that a new outbreak of the Zika virus is quite possible, as a single mutation is potentially enough to cause rapid spread. with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

The illness sparked a global wave of medical emergencies in 2016 when thousands of children were born with brain damage after their mothers became infected during pregnancy.

American scientists say the world is looking for new mutations. The lab work, described in the journal Cell Reports, suggests that the virus can easily change to create new variants.

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Recent infection studies show that these options may work in virus transmission even in countries that have built up immunity from previous Zika outbreaks, scientists at the La Jolla Institute of Immunology say.

Experts said the findings, while theoretical, are interesting and reminders that viruses other than Covid can pose a threat.

shape changing virus

The Zika virus is spread through the bites of infected Aedes mosquitoes. Insects are found throughout the Americas, with the exception of Canada and Chile, where they are too cold, and throughout Asia.

While for most people the Zika virus is a mild illness with no long-term effects, it can be devastating for babies in the womb.

Photo: Shutterstock

If a mother becomes infected with the virus during pregnancy, it can harm the developing baby, causing microcephaly (an unusually small head) and brain tissue damage.

Zika virus

Although the virus is mainly spread by mosquitoes, it can also be transmitted sexually.

Few people die from the Zika virus, and it is believed that only one in five infected people develop symptoms.
These may include fever, rash, and joint pain. Since there is no cure, the only option is to reduce the risk of being bitten.

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The researchers recreated what happens when a virus spreads between mosquitoes and humans using cells and live mice in their experiments.

When the Zika virus was transmitted between mosquito cells and mice in the laboratory, small genetic changes occurred. This meant that it was relatively easy for the Zika virus to mutate in such a way that the virus thrived and spread even among animals that had some previous immunity from a similar mosquito-borne infection called dengue.

More research

Lead investigator Professor Sudan Shrestha said: “The Zika variant we identified has evolved to the point where the cross-protective immunity provided by prior dengue infection was no longer effective in mice. Unfortunately for us, if this option becomes common, we may have the same problems in real life.”

Professor Jonathan Ball, a virus expert at the University of Nottingham, said: “We've been hearing so much lately about the rapid evolution and emergence of variants of the coronavirus, but it's a timely reminder that shapeshifting is a common trait shared by viruses. This work shows how quickly a single-letter change in the genome sequence of a virus can occur, and what a serious impact it can have on the ability of a virus to infect. And, as the authors note, these interesting findings require more careful study.”

Dr Clare Taylor of the Society for Applied Microbiology said: “While these results were from laboratory experiments and therefore have limitations, they do show that there is a potential for troubling variants to occur during the normal transmission cycle of the Zika virus and reminds us that monitoring is important to keep track of viruses as they evolve.”

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She said it was possible to predict which options could cause major problems in the future and intervene early.

Professor Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said past Zika infection could still provide some protection against new variants, as was the case with Covid.

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