New research reveals new mechanisms for Zika virus outbreaks

A team led by Chinese scholars reported in the British journal
on January 29th that they had discovered a new mechanism for an outbreak of the Zika virus, which has increased the virus's ability to suppress the natural immune defenses of animal hosts, therefore increasing the ability and pathogenicity of the virus to infect humans.
virus is mainly transmitted through mosquito bites. The team, led by Professor Speyon of the Galveston Campus of the University of Texas Medical Division, conducted an in-depth analysis of the causes of the Zika virus pandemic.
the Zika virus evolved into two strains, the African strain and the Asian strain. Zika outbreaks in the Americas, such as Brazil, have been dominated by Asian strains since 2015. By comparing the Asian and African strains of the Zika virus, they found that a mutation in a bit on the NS1 protein of the Asian strain of the Zika virus effectively inhibited the production of a interferon in the host, allowing the virus to successfully escape the host's natural immunity and enhance the virus's ability to replicate and infect in the human body, Spey Yong told Xinhua in an email interview. This provides a new scientific basis for explaining the large-scale outbreak of the Zika virus in recent years.Dr. Xia Hongjie of the Galveston Campus of the University of Texas Medical Division, the lead author of the
report, said the Zika virus has undergone unprecedented evolution during its spread, especially in recent years, increasing the virus's ability to infect and causing widespread epidemics and outbreaks.
has been spreading in the Americas, such as Brazil, since 2015. People infected with the Zika virus may appear fever, rash, joint pain and other symptoms. The vast majority of people infected with Zika have mild symptoms, but infection with the zika virus in pregnant women can damage the fetal brain, leading to defects such as neonytrophic glyphs. (Source: Zhang Jiawei, Xinhua News Agency)