Zika Virus Can Harm Adult Brains Too: Study

The more scientists are lately learning about Zika virus, the worse it seems. In a new study it is found apart from causing severe birth defects the virus can also affect adult brain cells.

Rockefeller University professor Joseph Gleeson said the latest finding is a surprise to them and its effect is not limited to pregnant women.

Joseph is one of the authors of the study.

Details of the study are published in the Cell Stem Cell journal. It writes in a developing fetus the neural progenitor cells are susceptible to infection by such virus and this restricts development as well as hinders brain growth. Some of the neural progenitor cells are also found in adults and this is vital for learning and memory. Zika virus can infect it too in grown up people.

Glesson added, “We asked whether [these cells] were vulnerable to Zika in the same way the fetal brain is… The answer is definitely yes.”

Until now no other researcher or researcher has admitted Zika virus can bring harm to adult brains. Gleeson is the first to find it, but it is only an initial step in the discovery.

Gleeson and his team conducted the study on mice. Further research is still required to prove Zika virus can be dangerous to adult brains too.

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Infographic – What Is Zika Virus