There is no vaccine for Zika, but the symptoms often do not develop or are mild, such as fever, rash and conjunctivitis. However, it can cause genetic abnormalities such as microcephaly, where a child is born with a small head and often a smaller brain. Rarely, it can affect the nervous system through Guillain-Barre syndrome. Scientists in California have mimicked how it could mutate into humans by switching the virus between mosquito and mouse cells. Image: Zika is a danger to pregnant women and can cause microcephaly in their child The study found that Zika’s infectivity – its ability to cause disease and damage – increased as a result. The researchers also looked at whether the virus evolved differently in mice that had previously had dengue fever. The same Aedes mosquito transmits the two viruses and people infected with dengue fever have temporary protection against Zika. However, the same mutant Zika strain developed in both mouse cells exposed to dengue fever and those not. Read more: What is the Zika virus? Pregnant mice were then infected with the mutated strain. Scientists have re-discovered that it was more contagious with “significantly increased fetal absorption”, suggesting a greater chance of genetic abnormalities in the event of a mutation in the virus in the real world. The study, published in the journal Cell Reports, concludes that “this seems likely [Zika] it will continue to evolve in a way that increases its infectious power or transmission. “ He said checking for changes in Zika could help detect a new mutation early and avoid a potentially damaging outbreak. There were dozens of cases in the Indian city of Kanpur in November last year and a major outbreak in Brazil in 2015. The virus is found in parts of the Americas, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, but the United Kingdom does not have the Aedes mosquito that carries Zika. It has also been shown to spread through sexual contact and blood transfusions.
