A new UCLA study suggests that the Zika virus possesses the ability to mutate rapidly, allowing the current outbreak to spread swiftly around the world. The Cell Press journal, Cell Host & Microbe, published the findings today in its advance online edition. Genhong Cheng, a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA said that the virus has undergone significant genetic changes in the past 70 years. Cheng said that their results have raised new questions about the evolution of the virus, and highlight that a lot more research is needed to understand the relationship between the virus and human disease.
Dr. Stephanie Valderramos, a fellow in obstetrics-gynecology aid that they don’t know why the Zika infection was not associated with serious human disease, especially in newborns, until recently. He said that they hoped that taking a closer look at the virus’ genetic changes over time would reveal clues to this mystery. Researchers compared individual genetic differences among 41 strains of Zika virus,  thirty strains originated from humans, 10 from mosquitoes and one from monkeys. The team identified substantial DNA changes between the strains, showing a major split between the Asian and African lineages, as well as the human and mosquito versions. They said that they suspect that these mutations could help the virus replicate more efficiently, evading the body’s immune response or invading new tissues that provide a safe harbor for it to spread.
 

Read more at newsroom.ucla.edu

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