The mosquito-borne Zika virus could evolve to be more dangerous - and results from lab experiments will help researchers monitor the emergence of new variants.
at La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California and her colleagues wanted to mimic the infection cycle of the virus to see how it could mutate in the future. To do this, they repeatedly switched the virus back and forth between mosquito and mouse cells.The researchers also wanted to see if the virus evolved differently in mice that had been previously exposed to dengue virus, which causes dengue fever.
The researchers found that the same mutant form of the Zika virus developed in mouse cells that had been exposed to dengue virus and those that hadn’t. The fact it happened in both groups suggests this part of the virus’s genome is a mutation hotspot, says Shresta.The team then infected several pregnant mice with the mutant virus, and found that it was more infectious and more virulent. This means that the virus has a greater chance of crossing the placenta and infecting fetuses, says Shresta.
There is no guarantee that the mutant virus will also arise in the real world, but by identifying what potential mutants may look like, we can take quicker action if they do appear, says Shresta. “We need to increase scientific capabilities in different parts of the world and monitor the emergence of these variants,” she says.Henrik Salje
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