Zika Virus News and Research

Latest Zika Virus News and Research

Wolbachia bacterium can prevent mosquitoes from transmitting Zika virus

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have confirmed that a benign bacterium called Wolbachia pipientis can completely block transmission of Zika virus in Aedes aegypti, the mosquito species responsible for passing the virus to humans.

1 Jul 2016

SLU researchers receive federal grant to study Zika virus

Saint Louis University vaccine researchers have received $1.3 million in federal funding to study Zika, as part of a multi-site study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

1 Jul 2016

Likelihood of Zika virus outbreak not high in the U.S.

University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Infectious Diseases professor emeritus David Freedman, M.D., is not concerned about a widespread Zika virus outbreak in the United States.

30 Jun 2016

Researchers test experimental Zika virus vaccine in mice

An experimental vaccine against Zika virus developed by Brazilian and US researchers has been tested successfully in trials with mice.

30 Jun 2016

More research needed to predict how climate change alters outbreak of infectious diseases

It is time we act proactively to minimize the effect of climate change on our health, say the researchers behind a new review published in Environment International. To do this, more cross-disciplinary collaboration is needed to predict how climate change will alter the outbreak and spread of infectious diseases.

30 Jun 2016

Experts compile model list of essential diagnostic tests aiming to improve global health

In a western doctor's office or hospital, patients don't think twice about giving a blood or urine sample that can tell if they have a disease or infection, or show if their medicines are working. The samples get rushed to a testing lab with modern equipment that's held to high quality standards.

30 Jun 2016

New $2 test can rapidly detect Zika virus in saliva

Anxiety over the Zika virus is growing as the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro approach. To better diagnose and track the disease, scientists are now reporting in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry a new $2 test that in the lab can accurately detect low levels of the virus in saliva.

30 Jun 2016

Study: Zika virus infections last longer during pregnancy

University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers studying monkeys have shown that one infection with Zika virus protects against future infection, though pregnancy may drastically prolong the time the virus stays in the body.

29 Jun 2016

Two vaccine candidates provide complete protection against ZIKV infection in mice

The rapid development of a safe and effective vaccine to prevent the Zika virus (ZIKV) is a global priority, as infection in pregnant women has been shown to lead to fetal microcephaly and other major birth defects.

29 Jun 2016

Math professor develops scientific model to report ways Zika virus proliferates

A University of Miami math professor has developed a scientific model to address the various ways the Zika virus proliferates. The study, published June 17, 2016 in Scientific Reports, reveals that mosquito control should remain the most important mitigation method to control the virus.

29 Jun 2016

Health strategies for families when traveling abroad with kids

Before your family heads to Mexico, Asia or beyond this summer, do a little planning to keep everyone healthy during their journey. Dr. Nava Yeganeh, an assistant professor of pediatric infectious diseases and director of the Pediatric International Travel and Adoption Clinic at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, explains three important strategies.

27 Jun 2016

Researchers to explore how Zika virus enters human cells

A group of Western Illinois University student and faculty researchers are spending the summer conducting surveillance of tick-borne diseases and mosquito-borne arboviruses in regional counties.

25 Jun 2016

WHO violated sound standards of TB medical care, researchers say

The World Health Organization (WHO) violated sound standards of medical care and human rights by nudging poorer countries to follow less expensive, untested and largely ineffective treatment protocols for tuberculosis patients, a new paper by researchers at Duke, Brandeis and Harvard universities argues.

24 Jun 2016

Scientists isolate antibodies capable of neutralizing dengue and Zika virus

Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS, in collaboration with Imperial College London and the University of Vienna, Austria, have identified antibodies that can efficiently neutralize both the dengue virus and the Zika virus.

24 Jun 2016

SLU to conduct human clinical trial of vaccine to protect people from Zika virus

Saint Louis University's vaccine center has been tapped by the National Institutes of Health to conduct a human clinical trial of a vaccine to prevent the Zika virus, which can cause devastating birth defects in babies.

24 Jun 2016

Pre-existing dengue antibodies can intensify Zika virus infection

Previous exposure to the dengue virus may increase the potency of Zika infection, according to research from Imperial College London.

23 Jun 2016

Major review highlights lack of genetic understanding of Zika virus

A major review of the Zika virus has concluded that further research to understand the nature of the virus is critical to developing antiviral treatments and vaccines.The paper, published in the journal Veterinary Quarterly, considers the breadth of current research and highlights a lack of understanding of the nature of the virus.

23 Jun 2016

Latin American women report Zika virus alerts as reason for seeking abortion

Pregnant women in Latin American countries were more likely to seek an abortion after receiving health alerts about Zika virus, according to a study co-authored by Princeton University researchers and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

23 Jun 2016

Study to evaluate magnitude of health risks caused by Zika virus in pregnant women, infants

The National Institutes of Health and Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, a national scientific research organization linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, have begun a multi-country study to evaluate the magnitude of health risks that Zika virus infection poses to pregnant women and their developing fetuses and infants.

22 Jun 2016

First CRISPR/Cas9 screen helps identify human proteins required for Zika virus replication

Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have performed the first CRISPR/Cas9 screen to discover human proteins that Zika virus needs for replication.

22 Jun 2016