Sentences with phrase «infection with microcephaly»

Last year, however, concerns about the virus skyrocketed following the link between Zika virus infection with microcephaly in Brazil.

Not exact matches

This appears to be the first US case of a baby born with microcephaly, a condition in which the brain is abnormally small, after having a Zika infection.

After taking samples and conducting brain scans, the researchers found that 41 percent of mothers of babies with microcephaly tested positive for Zika infection in blood or cerebrospinal fluid samples, compared with none of those whose babies did not have microcephaly.

Earlier on Friday, U.S. health officials published a study estimating that as many as 270 babies in Puerto Rico may be born with the severe birth defect known as microcephaly caused by Zika infections in their mothers during pregnancy.

As most studies have only carefully examined infants with presumed or confirmed congenital ZIKV infection who have microcephaly, more studies are needed to understand ocular findings in those infants with congenital ZIKV infection without microcephaly.

Other infections also can cause microcephaly; in fact, out of 121 infants tested for other pathogens, 26 had evidence of infection with either toxoplasmosis, herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus, and syphilis.

One in 150 babies in the U.S. is born with a congenital CMV infection, and of those, one in five suffers from complications, according to the CDC, which can include including hearing loss, vision loss, cerebral palsy, cognitive impairments and microcephaly.

An association between Zika infections during pregnancy and the birth of babies with microcephaly (a birth defect in which an infant's brain does not develop properly resulting in a smaller than normal head) was first suggested by Brazilian physicians in August 2015, and in November microcephaly cases potentially associated with Zika started to be recorded; three months later WHO made its announcement.

The infection has been linked to microcephaly, a condition in which infants are born with unusually small heads and brain damage.

«As we learn more about the consequences of Zika infection, including the recent revelation that babies of Zika - infected mothers who had normal head sizes at birth have been diagnosed with microcephaly months later, it is vital that we know this enemy and remain vigilant in protecting ourselves,» Diaz concludes.

To build their tool, Alison Galvani, from Yale University in New Haven, USA, and colleagues focused on the two known serious consequences of Zika infection: microcephaly, a condition in which children are born with a small brain causing mental impairment, and Guillain - Barré syndrome or GBS, a potentially fatal disease that can cause neural damage and paralysis.

Even as the Zika virus becomes more prevalent — the Centers for Disease Control reports that the number of U.S. infants born with microcephaly and other birth defects is 20 times over the normal rate — researchers are still trying to fully pin down the identifying consequences of the viral infection.

The physical characteristic most associated with Zika infection is microcephaly, a birth defect in which the baby's brain does not develop properly resulting in a smaller than normal head.

In humans, Zika virus infection during pregnancy has been linked to a suite of birth defects including a condition known as microcephaly, which leaves babies with shrunken heads and brains (SN: 4/2/16, p. 26).

Data from the Brazilian metropolis have confirmed this suspicion and, together with other studies, enable the researchers to estimate the absolute risk of microcephaly upon infection of the mother during pregnancy: approximately one out of 100 mothers infected during early pregnancy will bear a child with microcephaly.

«The increased number of newborns with microcephaly observed during the Zika outbreak in Brazil is linked to Zika infection of the mother during early pregnancy,» explains Drexler.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently concluded that Zika virus infection in pregnant women can stunt neonatal brain development, leading to babies born with abnormally small heads, a condition known as microcephaly.

Petersen's remarks were among the strongest suggestions yet from a top CDC scientist that Zika infection during pregnancy can — at least in some cases — cause microcephaly, a condition in which infants are born with abnormally small heads and possibly brain damage.

«What we show is the first piece of evidence» consistent with the hypothesis that Zika infections cause microcephaly, said Hengli Tang, a virologist at Florida State University and another lead author.

«In addition to microcephaly, infection with Zika virus in adults can lead to destruction of myelin, a mixture of proteins and fatty substances that insulate nerves to speed electrical communication between neurons, a condition called Guillain - Barre syndrome.»

The report demonstrates phenotypic variability in regard to the presence of observed microcephaly as well as the degree of brain damage and affected brain structures with congenital ZIKV infection.

Based on that, we recommend using the term congenital Zika syndrome instead of microcephaly associated with Zika virus infection, which involves a spectrum of changes, including other neurological and fetal development manifestations.

In addition, the mechanism by which the ZIKV infection can cause fetal brain damage is not known, and some reports suggest that the virus is able to evade the normal immunoprotective responses of the placenta.15 Zika virus is not the only pathogen associated with neonate microcephaly.

In the recent case series, most infants with probable congenital ZIKV infection were noted to have craniofacial disproportion (95.8 %) and, to a lesser degree, biparietal depression (83.3 %), prominent occiput (75 %), and excess nuchal skin (47.9 %).38 Features supportive of the FBDS phenotype scattered through published reports include redundant scalp, 27,36,39,41 occipital prominence and / or overlapping sutures,14,20,22 - 24, 26,27,38 and typical craniofacial appearance with disproportion.13, 27,33,34,40 The FBDS phenotype is also prevalent in ZIKV - related media.47 Among infants with severe microcephaly, the pattern appears to be consistent, although the degree of cranial vault deformation varies.

The 3 largest case series of infants with microcephaly also reporting congenital contractures found that, among 35, 48, and 52 infants with microcephaly and presumed congenital ZIKV infection, isolated clubfoot occurred in 14 %, 10.4 %, and 3.8 % and arthrogryposis in 11 %, 10.4 %, and 5.7 %, respectively.36 - 38 Among a series of 104 infants under clinical investigation, 7 (6.7 %) with presumed (5 infants) and laboratory - confirmed (2 infants) congenital ZIKV infection had arthrogryposis; 6 of these infants had a head circumference of at least 2 SD below the mean.41 All had bilateral congenital hip dislocation, which previously has been reported to occur in 30 % to 40 % of children with arthrogryposis of various etiologies and 3 of 7 had dislocation or partial dislocation of 1 or both knees.41, 57

Structural eye anomalies (in particular, microphthalmia and coloboma), cataracts, intraocular calcifications, and posterior ocular findings have been reported in infants with presumed and laboratory - confirmed prenatal ZIKV infection; however, posterior findings have been the most prevalent.21,25,28,33,35,36,41 - 43 Case series report chorioretinal atrophy, focal pigmentary mottling of the retina, and optic nerve atrophy / anomalies.28, 34,37,41 - 43,55 Series of 20 or more infants with presumed ZIKV - associated microcephaly report ocular findings in 24 % to 55 %.28, 33,42 In one study, testing for ZIKV IgM was performed in 24 of 40 infants (60 %) with microcephaly and the results were positive in the cerebrospinal fluid in 100 % of those tested.42 The proportion of infants with ocular lesions did not differ in those with and without testing.42 In that series, first trimester maternal infection and smaller head circumference significantly correlated with the presence of abnormal ocular findings.42

Recife is experiencing an outbreak of ZIKV infection as well as an increase in the number of newborns with microcephaly.

Contracted through the bite of an infected mosquito or through sexual or other modes of transmission, Zika virus (ZIKV) infection can be prenatally passed from mother to fetus.1 The virus was first identified in the region of the Americas in early 2015, when local transmission was reported in Brazil.2 Six months later, a notable increase in the number of infants with congenital microcephaly was observed in northeast Brazil.3, 4 Clinical, epidemiologic, and laboratory evidence led investigators to conclude that intrauterine ZIKV infection was a cause of microcephaly and serious brain anomalies.5 - 7 However, as with other newly recognized teratogens, these features likely represent a portion of a broader spectrum.

Objective To evaluate the ocular findings in infants with microcephaly associated with presumed intrauterine ZIKV infection in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

Although many of the components of this syndrome, such as cognitive, sensory, and motor disabilities, are shared by other congenital infections, 5 features differentiate CZS from other congenital infections: (1) severe microcephaly with partially collapsed skull; (2) thin cerebral cortices with subcortical calcifications; (3) macular scarring and focal pigmentary retinal mottling; (4) congenital contractures; and (5) marked early hypertonia with symptoms of extrapyramidal involvement (Table).

To evaluate the ocular findings in infants with microcephaly associated with presumed intrauterine ZIKV infection in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

The FBDS phenotype has been reported in an infant with laboratory - confirmed ZIKV infection, 13 in a neuroimaging report documenting cranial bone collapse in infants born to mothers with suspected ZIKV infection during pregnancy, 14 and a recent case series of infants with probable ZIKV - associated microcephaly.38 In 3 of the largest case series reporting 35, 48, and 104 infants primarily with suspected congenital ZIKV infection, 33,37,38 approximately two - thirds of infants had severe microcephaly.

The included birth defects were based primarily on case reports of outcomes occurring in association with Zika virus infection during pregnancy; there is more evidence for some of these birth defects than for others, and a causal link has not been established for all.5,10,12,21 - 27 Because much of the focus to date has been on microcephaly and brain abnormalities, data were summarized in 2 mutually exclusive categories: (1) brain abnormalities with or without microcephaly regardless of the presence of additional birth defects and (2) neural tube defects and other early brain malformations, eye abnormalities, and other consequences of central nervous system dysfunction among those without evident brain abnormalities or microcephaly.

The central nervous system damage seen with prenatal ZIKV infection is likely due to direct cellular injury, as ZIKV RNA15, 17,32 and live virus15 have been identified in the brain tissue of infants with microcephaly.

Other congenital infections are known to cause hearing problems, but this is one of the first times its been documented among children with Zika - related microcephaly.

The researchers add that it's possible some children born with Zika infections but without microcephaly could also be at risk for hearing problems, though this has not yet been determined.

To see the alternative story about Zika infections, Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, did some studies on Brazilian populations with a high incidence of microcephaly and did find that the incidences of microcephaly corresponded more with environmental toxins.