Over the past couple of years, there has been a lot of discussion regarding Zika virus and its ability to cause birth defects if the mother is infected while pregnant. However, new research is suggesting that this may not be a Zika virus specific effect. Indeed, there are other members of Flaviviridae, such as West Nile Virus and Powassan Virus, that have caused birth defects in mice. The results showed that pregnant mice who were infected with West Nile Virus either gave birth to stillborn mice or had some brain damage involved. This is increasingly important for us to understand in the United States as West Nile Virus is becoming more and more prevalent. It is important to remember, however, that these results are only in the preliminary stages and the fact that there were some birth defects in mice does not in any way mean there will be defects or any impact in people. More research is in the works to try and generalize this research to humans and determine who may be at the most risk so precautionary measures can be taken.
Source: https://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/51524/title/Viruses-Related-to-Zika-May-Also-Harm-Fetuses/
Study: http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/10/426/eaao7090
-Alexandra
0 Komentar