Zika Virus May Affect the Brain Growth and Development

These findings have come to light through a study carried out on the fetal brain model which shows that Zika virus damages the growing neonatal brain cells resulting in a condition known as microcephaly in which the head of the fetus is abnormally small. 

The exact mechanism by which Zika virus causes microcephaly in the neonates was unknown. This study has, however, answered many of the questions regarding the effects of Zika Virus on normal neonatal brain development. 

The study was carried out by researchers at the University Of California San Diego School Of Medicine. The results of the study were subsequently published in Cell Stem Cell. The researchers used a 3D stem cell model of a first-trimester fetal brain. 

The organoid model that was used was equivalent of the first trimester human brain in which the stem cells developed into brain cells in the same manner as the actual human brain. The same model was used by the investigators to compare the gene activation in stem cells to the genetic store of the actual human brain. 

Zika Virus Invades Human Immune System

The researchers experimented by adding the Zika Virus sample to the organoid brain model. The Zika virus strain that was employed during this study (MR766) first originated in Uganda. As a result, the 3D model was found to shrink. Five days after the introduction of the Zika virus prototype strain, the healthy brain model showed 22.6% growth as compared to the infected organoid which showed merely 16% growth. 

The researchers found that Zika virus acts by activating TLR3, a molecule which human cells employ for defense against the viruses and is found both inside and outside the human cells. TLR3 acts a detector for RNA viruses invading the cells. 

Activation of TLR3 stimulates a cascade of events during which the excessively stimulated TLR3 switches off the genes that mature into human brain cells and activates the genes that are responsible for apoptosis, programmed cellular death. In this way, the growth of human brain is inhibited. Activation of TLR3 has been found to affect the expression of 41 genes in total. 

Going a step further, the researchers stopped the activation of TLR3. They noticed that the damage induced on the human brain was visibly reduced following the inhibition of TLR3. 

According to Tariq Rana, professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine and the lead author of the study, Zika Virus affects the human brain development and growth by turning the immune system of the body upon itself. 

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The Future Prospects

This study has proved to be a milestone for the discovery of the treatment of the Zika virus infection and for the prevention of brain damage. TLR3 inhibitors can be effectively used to prevent neonatal brain damage caused by Zika virus infection in pregnant women. In this way, the chances of microcephaly in neonates can be significantly reduced.  
Further studies to understand the precise action of Zika virus in humans and how it affects various organ systems is underway in order to formulate better treatments for its treatment. 

World’s First Kit for Direct Detection of Zika Virus in Blood Developed

Ever since Zika virus has emerged as a health threat, efforts have been directed towards the development of rapid methods of detecting the presence of Zika virus strains in the blood for early diagnosis and prompt interventions.

Zika virus infection manifests in the form of fever and congestion of the conjunctivae. Infection in pregnant women can lead to microcephaly (abnormally small head) in the newborn children. The previous marketed kits had been designed to detect the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to the Zika virus in the bloodstream.  These kits have been hailed incapable of detecting the early stage Zika virus infection. 

In an attempt to make the early diagnosis of Zika virus possible, Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. has come up with the world’s first kit by combining antibody screening technology and nano-colloidal gold technology. This kit is capable of directly detecting the presence of Zika virus strains in the blood, even during the early stages of the disease. 

ZIKV Detection Kit

This latest kit has been designed in such a way that it identifies the presence of Zika virus infection in merely 10 to 15 minutes, a characteristic that is crucial for diagnostic tests and kits.  In stark contrast to other kits available for the same purpose that employ the PCR technique for Zika virus detection, a process that takes an average of a half to one day for yielding results, this kit gives results quite fast. 

The kit functions via immunochromatographic assay, a method that senses the presence of antibodies to nonstructural protein (NS1), which is a structural component of the Zika virus. The sensitivity of the kit has been found to be equal to that of the kits that employ the same principle for the detection of influenza and other viruses. 

One of the main benefits of this kit is its cost-effectiveness. Its method of operation is also quite easy. It does not require any special equipment to function. All it takes is to dip the strip in the blood sample in order to identify the Zika virus strains within blood, if present. It is capable of detecting Zika virus even at a concentration of 102TCID50/mL in the bloodstream. 

READ Zika: The Terrifying Virus Responsible For Booming Microcephaly Cases Might Be An STD?

The Future Outcomes

This kit will prove to be a major achievement in curbing the spread of Zika virus infection and preventing large-scale epidemics, especially after Zika virus was declared to be a major health threat by the World Health Organization (WHO) in February, 2016. 
Considering that millions of people in South and North America, especially Brazil, are at serious risk of contracting Zika virus via the transfer of body fluids, this kit will turn out to be a major cost-effective as well as speedy diagnostic process for early detection of Zika virus. It will help treat the infection in its initial stages before it becomes a major health concern and jeopardizes the health of the patients. 

Further studies are under way to make the kit’s performance even better in order to stop the Zika virus infection in its tracks.