Chinese scientists have solved the mystery of the Zika virus that causes the disease

why does the Zika virus cause severe glyphs? Mutations at an amino acid point have led to a significant increase in the toxicity of the Zika virus, which in turn has led to the development of small head disease, Chinese scientists said Tuesday.
, a team from the Chinese Academy of Military Medicine, teamed up with Xu Deheng of the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to complete the study, which was published in the new issue of the
Journal.
virus, which is mainly transmitted through mosquito bites, was first detected in Uganda in 1947, but did not attract much attention until a massive outbreak in South America in 2015 led to a sharp rise in the incidence of fetal glycephaly. Scientists around the world have carried out a series of studies into the Zika virus, but have been unable to properly explain how a common virus that has been left unattended has evolved into a deadly virus that threatens the fetus.
In the latest study, Qin Chengfeng and others compared the Zika virus isolated strains isolated from South America in 2015 and 2016 with those isolated from Cambodia in 2010, and found that one of the key mutations was located in the position of the 139th amino acid of the Zika virus prM protein.
study showed that the mutation, called S139N, caused the original serine to be replaced by terrestreamide, resulting in significant neurotoxicity of the virus, showing greater intracranial replication and microcephaly in fetal mice. The mutant virus also shows greater infectious power in human neuroresurger cells, leading to more severe cell death.
further traceable analysis found that the mutation first appeared around May 2013, highly consistent with the high number of cases of small head disease.
the study was mainly based on mice, Qin told Xinhua they were "very confident" that the findings would apply to humans as well. "This finding provides an important target for future pathogen monitoring and risk prediction of the Zika virus, as well as guidance for research on the pathogenic mechanisms of the Zika virus and the development of vaccine drugs," he said. (Source: Xinhua News Agency, Lin Xiaochun)