Getting dengue first may make Zika infection much worse
Cell, mice experiments reveal antibodies gone rogue By Aimee Cunningham View original source ⮕ Being immune to a virus is a good thing, until it’s not. That’s the lesson from a study that sought to understand the severity of the Zika outbreak in Brazil. Experiments in cells and mice suggest that a […]
Why Didn’t Zika Cause A Surge In Microcephaly In 2016?
By Michaeleen Doucleff View original source ⮕ Back in 2015, Brazil reported a horrific a surge in birth defects. Thousands of babies were born with brain damage and abnormally small heads, a condition called microcephaly. Scientists quickly concluded the Zika virus was the culprit. So when Zika returned last year during Brazil’s […]
Prior exposure to dengue or West Nile could make Zika worse: Report
By Julie Steenhuysen View original source ⮕ CHICAGO (Reuters) – Prior infection with West Nile or dengue – two viruses closely related to Zika – can make Zika symptoms worse, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. The findings in mice, published in the journal Science, confirm studies in cells suggesting that prior infection […]
Anti-Flavivirus Antibodies Enhance Zika Infection in Mice
One of the leading companies in the sector warns that they tend to give false negatives in people with lower amounts of virus and point out that they are only reliable in those with high viral load