«Among infants of mothers exposed to Zika virus during pregnancy, the absence
of microcephaly at birth does not rule out congenital Zika virus infection or the presence of Zika - related brain abnormalities,» according to a news release from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This prospective study was conducted in Campina Grande, the second largest city in the state of Paraíba, which has reported the second highest prevalence
of microcephaly at birth in Brazil.
Not exact matches
«We've been seeing growing evidence
of the association between Zika and congenital central nervous system malformations, not just
microcephaly, since the first cases were picked up,» says Wim Van Bortel, senior expert on vector - borne diseases
at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in Solna, Sweden.
Wong: I can't put percentages on that yet, but I would say that although there are still plenty
of people who believe that the original interpretation is correct, there are an increasing number
of people who
at least think that the hypothesis
of pathology, like this
microcephaly, has not yet been sufficiently ruled out.
«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.
That state has seen
at least 487
microcephaly cases so far this year, compared with an average
of 10 cases annually between 2010 and 2014.
Researchers weren't sure why
microcephaly suddenly became a complication
of Zika infections, says Pei - Yong Shi, a virologist
at the University
of Texas Medical Branch
at Galveston.
Cases
of both Zika virus and
microcephaly — the potentially related occurrence
of babies born with small - sized heads and associated neurological complications — will continue to increase across the Americas, said a panel
of public health experts
at a 12 February news briefing
at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
«Studies
of fetuses and babies with the telltale small brains and heads
of microcephaly in Zika - affected areas have found abnormalities in the cortex, and Zika virus has been found in the fetal tissue,» says Guo - li Ming, M.D., Ph.D., a professor
of neurology, neuroscience, and psychiatry and behavioral science
at Johns Hopkins» Institute for Cell Engineering.
«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.
But Peter Hotez, dean
of the National School
of Tropical Medicine
at Baylor College
of Medicine, said its findings offer «potentially important» new information about the link between Zika and
microcephaly.
Strengthening the link between Zika virus and
microcephaly, scientists
at UC San Francisco have discovered that a protein the virus uses to infect skin cells and cause a rash is present also in stem cells
of the developing human brain and retina.
We have shown that the presence
of extra centrosomes in proliferating embryonic neural stem cells is sufficient to impair brain development and culminates in
microcephaly (small brains)
at birth.
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
If Zika is the cause
of microcephaly (and
at the moment this looks increasingly likely), then a more subtle interaction between virus, patient and environment is involved, rather than some new property arising within the virus due to mutation.
We report the integration
of transcriptome sequencing (RNA - seq), which surveys all mRNAs to reveal functional impacts
of variants
at the transcription level, into the gene discovery framework for a unique human disease,
microcephaly - micromelia syndrome (MMS).
«Just because the baby doesn't have
microcephaly doesn't mean they won't have vision issues or hearing issues,» added Dr. Jill Rabin, co-chief
of ambulatory care in Women's Health Programs and PCAP Services
at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y. «Problems may not show up until the child is 4 years old.»
«The emergence
of Zika virus in the Americas has coincided with increased reports
of babies born with
microcephaly,» said study author Dr. Heron Werner Jr.,
of the radiology department
at Rio de Janeiro's Clinica de Diagnostico por Imagem.
Lyle R. Petersen, MD, director
of vector - borne diseases
at the CDC, told the New York Times earlier this week that the agency had found the Zika virus in four Brazilian babies; two died in the womb, and two had
microcephaly and died shortly after birth.
In the analysis, Mariana Leal,
of the Hospital Agamenon Magalhaes and the Federal University
of Pernambuco in Brazil, and colleagues looked
at 70 infants in Brazil who had been diagnosed with Zika - linked
microcephaly.
Expectant mothers are most
at risk because
of Zika's known link to birth defects (especially
microcephaly, where a baby's head is smaller than normal
at birth).
The state has the second highest number
of Zika infections in the country, behind New York, including
at least 53 pregnant women, who are considered to be
at greatest risk from the virus because it can cause
microcephaly and other birth defects.