Researchers Investigate How Different Zika Strains Impact Fetal Development
The Asian strain of the virus, which has been linked to microcephaly, attacks fetal cells differently than the African strain.
Sacramento Bee:
African Strain Of Zika Virus Shown To Act More Quickly Than Asian Strain
The University of Missouri study looked at two strains of the Zika virus – the African strain as well as the Asian strain, the latter of which has been linked to a neurological defect called microcephaly in human babies. Researchers used stem cells to create placental cells, and then infected two separate groups of those cells with the Asian or the African strain of the Zika virus, according to a news release about the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The Asian strain of the virus entered the cell and replicated within the cells, but did not kill the cells, according to the release. (Caiola, 3/20)