Two Science sub-journals say the Zika virus harms collagen development in infants' brains, and the development of a vaccine against the Zika virus is promising.

, June 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/-- BioONbioon/--- first new study shows that for pregnant women infected with the Zika virus during pregnancy, the virus hinders the development of the vital collagen in the brains of babies they give birth toThe findings were published on June 9, 2020 in the journal Science Signaling with the title "Molecular alterations in the extracellular matrix in the brains of the life of the life with the zika zika zika syndrome"collagen is essential to the circulatory system because it regulates the contraction of blood vesselsLarge amounts of collagen found in the human brain are found in vein tissuethese findings may explain the death of microcephal, a birth defect that causes babies to be born with smaller heads, usually smaller brains, and possibly not developing properlyZika virus, pictured from Wikipedia"In a previous study, we observed that if women with a rare mutation in the collagen gene were infected with the Zika virus, they were more likely to have babies with microcephaly," said Renato Aguiar, a researcher at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil,In this new study, we found that the virus affects the genes that form collagen in the fetusTogether, these two factors can lead to very serious cases of congenital Zika syndrome and infant deathThethe World Health Organization (WHO) said Brazil experienced an outbreak of the Zika virus in early 2015, six months after the link between Zika virus infection and microcephaly was reportedOutbreaks and evidence of transmission have occurred in the Americas, Africa and other parts of the worldIn 2020, Brazil's Ministry of Health has reported more than 3,500 suspected cases of the Zika virusvaccinescientists are continuing to study a vaccine to fight the Zika virus, which is mainly transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito In a second new study, U.S researchers analyzed two candidate vaccines and found that while they can both induce neutralizing antibodies, only one of them has a protective effect on the Zika virus challenge 2020610Science Translational Medicine,"Distinct neutralizing antibody correlates of protection among related Zika virus vaccines identify a role for antibody quality"。 Ted Pierson, co-author of the paper and director of the Viral DiseaseS Laboratory at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the second study showed that vaccines aimed at neutralising and maturing Zika virus particles may be effective this "protective vaccine" stimulates the production of antibodies--- or natural defense mechanisms--- they work like keys and can identify and combine specific "locks" found on the surface of mature virus particles, known as epitopes clinical trials conducted in mice, primates and humans have
shown that once an antibody finds a "lock," it identifies the virus as a threat and can fight it , however, Pierson said, "Vaccination in pregnant women is something that needs to be studied very carefully." The easiest way to protect these women is to make them immune to the Zika virus before they become pregnant "
the research that needs to be done the vaccine may take some time In the Americas, including Peru, Costa Rica and Mexico, there is an ongoing Phase II clinical study aimed at better understanding the safety of vaccines, but further development will require financial input, Pierson said , however, vaccine research is likely to slow as the number of cases observed has declined since 2016 "So there are still unknowns and some challenges about where we're switching from safe candidate vaccines to effective candidates," Pierson said Fernando Spilki, president of the Brazilian Virology Association, who was not involved in the study, said Aguiar's study explains not only "Zika syndrome itself, but also why there are differences between infants with no signs of disease, while other infants have serious developmental challenges." the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito to other latitudes is a cause for concern The mosquitoes are moving faster than epidemiologists expect, and there have been smaller outbreaks in southern Brazil Spilki cautions, "Because the Zika virus is not endemic in these areas, people have no natural defenses against it." he said that despite the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis and outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya, research into the Zika virus and similar viruses remains a priority He said part of the response to COVID-19 came from lessons learned during the Zika virus outbreak But, he says, the key is that such research needs to be sustained and long-term funded "Sadly, research into viral epidemics seems to rely on public health emergencies to drive," Spilki said This is far from ideal--- funding should be continued so that we can respond quickly and better to these outbreaks More viruses are still present because they are a long-standing problem in Brazil and Latin America (Bio Valley Bioon.com) References: 1 Renato S Aguiar et al Molecular alterations in the extracellular matrix in the brains of the brains of the bourds with the sie-tha in the Science Signaling, 2020, doi: 10.1126/scisignal.aay6736.
2.Sonia Maciejews et al Distinct neutral antibody correlates of the protection related Zika virus vaccine sy'r ao for antibody quality Science Translational Medicine, 2020, doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaw9066.
3 Zika virus 'harms baby brain collagen development' .