The Zika virus (ZKV) is well known in today’s society as a
virus to be feared but many people do not know much more than that. To provide
a little background, The Zika virus is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus that
was initially isolated from a rhesus monkey in the Zika Forest in Uganda. The
most recent outbreak of this virus that was widely publicized was in Brazil
during the Summer Olympics, where many athletes declined travelling to Brazil
to participate.
This study
looks at a certain transmission of the virus from mother to child by becoming
infected during the pregnancy. The major concern of this occurrence is that there
has been an increase in fetuses with microcephaly born to mothers infected with
the Zika virus. Microcephaly is a birth defect where a baby’s head develops
smaller than expected because they did not develop properly in the womb. Recent
reports from the Ministry of Health of Brazil have shown that there has been an
increase in microcephaly among newborns in the northeast region of this
country. This increase in occurrences show that ZKV infection is becoming more
prominent in pregnant women, while the fetus is affected by having neurotropic
and intrauterine growth retardation due to the placenta being damaged. The
damage to the placenta by the infection can be drastic because the placenta is
necessary to provide oxygen and nutrients to the growing baby. Damage to this
could result in the baby having a hard time growing and thriving in the womb.
Overall, a newborn that was produced by a mother with the virus could
potentially cause birth defects such as microcephaly, calcifications in the
brain, or other neurotropic effects.
The
importance of this study is that it provided an example of the possibilities of
how the Zika virus can affect the fetus while in the womb. Countries that want
to gain more information about what can happen to newborns if their mother had
the infection and try to find a way to prevent or deter it from happening.
There is currently not a cure for ZKV, but there are precautions that can be
taken. Some examples of this are to use mosquito spray, plan your travelling
accordingly, and to use protection when having intercourse because the virus
can be passed this way as well. Future research can be done as the demand for
it becomes more prominent as the Zika virus continues to spread around the
world with more incidences occurring.
Another effect from the Zika virus is that it can cause Guillain–Barré syndrome, in which the immune system attacks its own peripheral nerves and disrupt the control of muscular movement. Although rare, it is more common among adults and males and there are no apparent long term effects but can symptoms can last several weeks.
ReplyDeleteI only knew the basics of the Zika virus, but I never knew exactly how it works. How is it that the infection can be spread through sex? Is it because it's transmitted through body fluids?
ReplyDeleteYes the virus is passed on through bodily fluids and can be passed on even if the sexual partner that is infected does not show any symptoms.
DeleteVery enlightening. I wonder how long the Zika virus stays in an individual. If a woman gets infected now and then say in a month becomes pregnant, does the virus still present a risk? I feel your body would fight off the disease prior, but I haven't heard any research on the idea with the primary concern being those pregnant when infected.
ReplyDeleteThe body's immune system fights off the virus eventually so an infection doesn't necessarily mean that you will be putting your baby at risk ask long as the virus is gone before conception, I believe. This article mostly relates to if the mother is infected while she is pregnant.
DeleteI wonder if the medical industry is working on a way to prevent transmission of the virus to the placenta or the fetus. I know they have developed treatments that make transmission of HIV to offspring much less likely. Finding a medicine that could do something similar would take away one of the worst outcomes from the Zika virus. I think a normal infection with the Zika virus is no worse than a flu, although there are some other bad outcomes in special cases. I would also like to know how effective normal mosquito control methods are at preventing the spread of the Zika virus. Avoiding places where the virus is present is good advice for those who live in uninfected places, but having solutions available for when the virus spreads is a necessity.
ReplyDeleteTangent: I was interested (like Ryan) in the mechanism of pathogenicity, and so I googled it...and was immediately reminded why Science Daily sucks. Note here the paper they cite (exciting), and the failed link they provide for it >: 0
ReplyDeletehttps://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160506132202.htm