Zika Virus Uses Human Dendritic Cells to Establish a Factory and Replicate Itself

Zika virus is known as a mosquito-borne disease, which causes either asymptomatic or mild infection like fever, rash, headache, muscle pains, joint pains, and red eyes among humans.

Its most detrimental symptom is an increased risk of microcephaly, a condition where the baby's head is smaller than expected. This is possible when Zika virus-carrying Aedes mosquitoes infect mothers during pregnancy.

Health authorities consider the disease to be generally mild. Severe symptoms only lead to hospitalizations with a relatively low chance of fatality. However, scientists continue to determine the mechanisms behind the zika disease, which is caused by the flavivirus, first detected from monkeys in Uganda back in 1947 and later found among humans in the US, Uganda, and Tanzania in 1952.

Now, a study led by researchers from the United States assert they have figured out the workings of the virus once inside the body, where it uses the human dendritic cells as Zika virus factories. In particular, pathogen uses the human cells to create factories and replicate itself. While other viruses work the same way, the target of the flavivirus are cells that we are supposed to rely for an immune response.

Unlike the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), zika has not reached pandemic-level type of outbreak. In recent years since its first discovery, related cases of the zoonotic disease have been reported mostly in Africa, South America, and Asia. Meanwhile, acquisition of the disease occurs due to travel-related reasons, especially from passengers coming from infected countries, including Brazil and India.

New Zika Virus Findings

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The new research was published in the journal Nature Communications on Monday, September 12, and it was led by researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Immunology. The research team considered zika as a global health threat due to the absence of vaccines and anti-viral treatments.

With this, the team developed a genomics profiling method which led to the discovery that it targets the immune system's trusted cells.

The virus is able to do this by forcing the dendritic cells to stop acting or functioning as immune cells. According to Professor Sujan Shresta, Ph.D., a professor a La Jolla, dendritic cells are considered as major cells of the "innate immune system," as cited by Medical Xpress.

Following the study, it is still unclear if whether the findings will translate to the development of a vaccine against the zika virus.

Also Read: Zika Virus Update: Natural Family Planning App Offers 1 Million Free Subscriptions to Brazil Women

What is Zika Virus?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Aedes mosquitoes responsible for transmitting the zika virus disease bites during the day, where the first sign of symptoms show approximately after two to seven days. Majority of people reportedly with the virus do not show any evident symptoms.

Aside from microcephaly, the WHO says infants can develop congenital malformations called congenital Zika syndrome. The ailment is also linked to pregnancy complications like preterm birth and miscarriage.

For adults and children, there is an increased risk of neurologic complications is connected with some Zika virus infection, including the myelitis, neuropathy, and the Guillain-Barre syndrome.

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