Japanese Encephalitis News and Research

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Japanese encephalitis (previously known as Japanese B encephalitis to distinguish it from von Economo's A encephalitis) is a disease caused by the mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis virus. The Japanese encephalitis virus is a virus from the family Flaviviridae. Domestic pigs and wild birds are reservoirs of the virus; transmission to humans may cause severe symptoms. One of the most important vectors of this disease is the mosquito ''Culex tritaeniorhynchus''. This disease is most prevalent in Southeast Asia and the Far East.

New vaccine could protect unborn babies from Zika virus

Until recently, the Zika virus was not a priority since it affected relatively few people and the cost of creating a vaccine was estimated at EUR 149-468 million. But the spread of Zika in the Americas and discovery of a link with reduced head size and brain damage in babies of women infected while pregnant changed that.

20 Jul 2018

Scientists discover secret to success of antiviral gene

It's been known for years that humans and other mammals possess an antiviral gene called RSAD2 that prevents a remarkable range of viruses from multiplying.

25 Jun 2018

Investigational ZPIV vaccine found to be safe and immunogenic in trial participants

The investigational Zika purified inactivated virus (ZPIV) vaccine was well-tolerated and induced an immune response in participants, according to initial results from three Phase 1 clinical trials.

5 Dec 2017

Scientists make significant discovery in efforts to develop vaccine against global pathogens

Scientists at the University of Southampton have made a significant discovery in efforts to develop a vaccine against Zika, dengue and Hepatitis C viruses that affect millions of people around the world.

15 Sep 2017

Vaccination efforts in poor countries prevent 20 million deaths, provide economic benefits

Vaccination efforts made in the world's poorest countries since 2001 will have prevented 20 million deaths and saved $350 billion in health-care costs by 2020, according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

1 Sep 2017

Researchers investigate how previous exposure to West Nile virus affects Zika infection

West Nile virus is no stranger to the U.S.-Mexico border; thousands of people in the region have contracted the mosquito-borne virus in the past. But could this previous exposure affect how intensely Zika sickens someone now?

17 Aug 2017

Scientists solve structure of protein crucial to reproduction and spread of Zika virus

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne infectious disease linked to certain birth defects in infants in South and Central America and the United States.

11 Apr 2017

Researchers map key Zika virus protein to accelerate search for cure

A study published today shows how Indiana University scientists are speeding the path to new treatments for the Zika virus, an infectious disease linked to birth defects in infants in South and Central America and the United States.

28 Mar 2017

Researchers find high-resolution structure of immature Zika virus

Researchers at Purdue University have determined the high-resolution structure of immature Zika virus, a step toward better understanding how the virus infects host cells and spreads.

10 Jan 2017

Study shows how Zika virus infection leads to production of smaller disease-causing RNAs

Researchers, led by scientists at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, have found basic molecular processes used by the Zika virus to "hijack" the cells that it infects and potentially how it makes molecules that are directly linked to disease.

11 Nov 2016

Clinical study to test safety and ability of investigational Zika vaccine candidate begins

The first of five early stage clinical trials to test the safety and ability of an investigational Zika vaccine candidate called the Zika Purified Inactivated Virus (ZPIV) vaccine to generate an immune system response has begun at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Clinical Trial Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.

7 Nov 2016

TSRI scientists elucidate how Zika virus attacks the brains of newborns

In a study that could one day help eliminate the tragic birth defects caused by Zika virus, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have elucidated how the virus attacks the brains of newborns, information that could accelerate the development of treatments.

17 Oct 2016

Culex mosquitoes not involved in transmission of Zika virus, study finds

A Biosecurity Research Institute study has found important results in the fight against Zika virus: Culex mosquitoes do not appear to transmit Zika virus.

5 Oct 2016

Research reveals how Zika virus arrests fetal brain development in pigtail macaque

For the first time, abnormal brain development following a Zika infection during pregnancy has been documented experimentally in the offspring of a non-human primate.

12 Sep 2016

Pre-travel consultation can help international travelers to prepare for trip

International tourism exceeds 1.2 billion persons each year, with more than 20 percent of travelers reporting some type of illness.

31 Aug 2016

Scientists isolate new multicomponent virus from mosquitoes

Scientists have identified a new "multicomponent" virus -- one containing different segments of genetic material in separate particles -- that can infect animals, according to research published today in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

26 Aug 2016

Cloned Zika virus could be used for development of attenuated vaccine

Stopping the explosive spread of Zika virus - which can lead to birth defects in babies born to infected mothers - depends on genetic insights gleaned through new tools and models.

23 Aug 2016

Study uses computer-based approaches to characterize Zika virus genome

The sudden emergence of the Zika virus epidemic in Latin America in 2015-16 has caught the scientific world unawares.

5 Aug 2016

Scientists seeking blood donations from people exposed to arboviruses for dengue, Zika vaccine research

Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine are conducting studies that utilize blood donations from individuals who have been diagnosed with or potentially exposed to mosquito-borne viruses as part of ongoing dengue and Zika research and vaccine development.

2 Aug 2016

SLU researchers study investigational vaccine for yellow fever

Saint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development is studying an investigational vaccine for yellow fever, a potentially deadly disease that is spread by the same mosquito that transmits Zika virus.

19 Jul 2016