A single mutation could make Zika virus a lot more dangerous

Murugesu was written by Jason Arunn.

There is a chance that a single abnormality could make the mosquito-borne Zika virus more dangerous.

Microcephaly is a condition in which babies are born with a small head and sometimes brain damage, if they are born to a woman who has been bitten by the Zika mosquito. In over 30 countries, the virus was linked to microcephaly.

Shresta and her colleagues wanted to see how the virus could change in the future. They switched the virus between mosquito and mouse cells multiple times.

The researchers wanted to see if the virus evolved differently in mice that had been exposed to it.

Shresta says that the mosquito-borne virus is more common in countries where the disease is more common. Shresta says that people who have been exposed to a mosquito-borne disease have short-term protection against it.

The same form of the Zika virus was found in mouse cells that had been exposed to a different virus. Shresta says that the fact that it happened in both groups suggests that the part of the virus's genome that is amutation hotspot.

The team found that the mutant virus was more infectious and more dangerous than before. Shresta says that this means that the virus has a better chance of entering the uterus.

The team found that the new virus could replicate more easily than the original one. The researchers are trying to figure out how this is making the virus more infectious.

Shresta says that we can take quicker action if we know what potential Mutants look like.

The presence of the ZIKA virus is often hidden, according to the University of Cambridge. We have a limited understanding of the underlying viral diversity.

Studies such as this one help to identify changes in the virus that could lead to increased virulence and will help guide the efforts of the genomic research community.

Cell Reports is a journal.

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