New Zika virus find opens route for new vaccines, treatments

New Delhi: A new study conducted by researchers has managed to demonstrate how Zika virus rewires and repurposes invaded cells, paving the way for new vaccines and treatments.

The research reveals a high-resolution view of the Zika viral life cycle within infected cells and shows dramatic changes in the cell`s architecture throughout the infection process.

Zika virus emerged as a public health threat in the western hemisphere in 2015.

Infection is associated with severe symptoms in pregnant women and immunocompromised adults, including microcephaly of the developing fetus, visual impairment and development of the autoimmune disease, Guillain-Barre.

To survive and produce new copies, Zika virus takes control over the cells it infects.

These changes provide protection against host defenses and commandeer the resources of the cell.

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) compared two groups of mammalian cells in tissue culture.

The first group was infected with Zika virus and the second, control group, was not infected. Using light microscopy they observed structural changes at the cell level.

Using electron microscopy, they detected more detailed information within the cells and were able produce a three-dimensional structure of the cell`s interior.

The structural changes induced in Zika virus-infected cells were compared to the uninfected cells.

(With ANI inputs)