Zika Virus

Zika virus is a member of the virus family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus, transmitted by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes, such as A. aegypti and A. albopictus

What is the Zika virus?

The Zika virus causes fever, joint pain, headaches, a rash, conjunctivitis and muscle pain. As with other viruses, it is characterised by spreading via the cells of the body. Both men and women can contract the disease. It is a member of the Flavivirus genus which is a member of the Flaviviridae family.

Zika diagnosis

Zika prevention

Zika Virus Symptoms

Zika transmission

Zika treatment

Zika vaccine development

Zika virus in pregnant women

Zika Virus Research

Zika Virus History

Zika and Guillain-Barré Syndrome

What Can Aedes Mosquitoes Transmit?

Latest Zika Virus News and Research

Research shows how antibodies attach to and block Zika virus

The Zika outbreak of 2015 and 2016 are having lasting impacts on children whose mothers became infected with the virus while they were pregnant.

25 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 does not infect the entire body in the same way, finds study

COVID-19, the disease caused by the pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is primarily regarded as a respiratory infection. Yet the virus has also become known for affecting other parts of the body in ways not as well understood, sometimes with longer-term consequences, such as heart arrhythmia, fatigue and "brain fog."

24 Feb 2021

A machine-learning approach to track how yellow fever mosquito moves through the environment

The yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) is a main vector of deadly diseases like dengue fever, chikungunya, and the Zika virus, which result in hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide each year.

24 Feb 2021

Corticosteroid receptor inhibitor shows anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vivo

A team of researchers examined PT150, which is an allosteric modulator of androgen and glucocorticoid receptors, to assess whether it had any antiviral activity or immunomodulatory activity to decrease the hyperinflammatory response of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

24 Feb 2021

Evolution of the spike gene of SARS-CoV-2 for human adaptation

Researchers have found a 96% similarity in nucleotide sequence between bat coronavirus (RaTG13), isolated from Rhinolophus affinis bats in China in 2013, and SARS-CoV-2 and ~97% amino acid similarity with the Spike (S) protein. This S protein performs two essential roles, i.e., mediates receptor-binding and membrane fusion. Hence, spike protein is regarded as a key coronavirus determinant of host tropism.

21 Feb 2021

Researchers develop thermostable RNA vaccine delivery platform

A new study describes the production of a new RNA vaccine delivery system that promises greater ease of storage and distribution. This could help boost vaccination rates in regions without adequate infrastructure for low-temperature storage.

4 Feb 2021

Preclinical study uncovers how Zika virus passes from mother to fetus during pregnancy

A preclinical study by a University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine research team has discovered a new mechanism for how Zika virus can pass from mothers to their children during pregnancy - a process known as vertical transmission.

3 Feb 2021

Johnson & Johnson SARS-CoV-2 vaccine shows promise in clinical trials

A new study shows that a single immunization with a low dose of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine – also known as the ‘Johnson & Johnson vaccine’ – effectively protected against SARS-CoV-2 challenge in rhesus macaques.

2 Feb 2021

Suicide mosquitos may prevent the spread of Zika virus

In 2016, the World Health Organization called the Zika virus epidemic a "public health emergency of international concern" due to the virus causing birth defects for pregnant women in addition to neurological problems.

27 Jan 2021

Scientists identify a molecular mechanism that protects the fetus from maternal infection

Researchers at Duke and Mt. Sinai have identified a molecular mechanism that prevents a viral infection during a mother's pregnancy from harming her unborn baby.

21 Jan 2021

The structure dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 genome in cells, cell lysates and virions

Now, a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv server describes the structures observed during the lifecycle of the RNA virus in terms of both canonical and alternative structures, RNA-RNA interactions, and replication regulation.

19 Jan 2021

New genomics resource details the small RNA transcriptomes of four mosquito species

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine provide a new genomics resource that details the small RNA transcriptomes (gene expression) of four bio-medically important mosquito species.

13 Jan 2021

Moderna to develop three new mRNA-based vaccines against HIV, influenza, and the Nipah virus

Morderna has announced plans to develop a range of new mRNA-based vaccines against other viruses, including the influenza virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and the Nipah virus.

13 Jan 2021

Asian tiger mosquito does not pose a major risk for Zika virus epidemics

The Asian tiger mosquito does not pose a major risk for Zika virus epidemics, according to a study published December 31 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Albin Fontaine of the Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, and colleagues.

4 Jan 2021

Many US health experts underestimated the coronavirus … until it was too late

A year ago, while many Americans were finishing their holiday shopping and finalizing travel plans, doctors in Wuhan, China, were battling a mysterious outbreak of pneumonia with no known cause.

21 Dec 2020

Zika infection affects fetal retinal development during pregnancy but not after birth

While the SARS-CoV-2 virus has dominated the news this past year, researchers continue to study the health effects of the Zika virus, which has been reported in 86 countries globally.

18 Dec 2020

$3.7 million NIH grant supports development of biosensor technology for diagnosing viral diseases

For over ten years, Ali Yanik has been working to develop novel biosensor technology to provide rapid, low-cost testing for disease diagnostics and precision medicine.

16 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be reverse-transcribed to be part of chimeric viral-human genome

A new study reveals that the genome of SARS-CoV-2 is inserted into the human genome, accounting for the detection of viral RNAs.

16 Dec 2020

Scientists empower wireless sensors with vision abilities to fight viruses

Current and former early-career scientists share their stories and tell how Europe has bet on them, making their high-risk research possible: from intelligent wireless sensors with vision abilities to RNA-based techniques to fight viruses, from the mathematical formulas of the MRI waves to optoceutics, the new technique that uses light to repair the heart after a stroke.

15 Dec 2020

Higher risk of West Nile virus infection in low-income urban neighborhoods in Baltimore

In Baltimore, Maryland, people living in low-income urban neighborhoods are more at risk of contracting West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne disease, than people living in more affluent neighborhoods. So reports a new study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

14 Dec 2020