New Studies Further Support Links Between Zika Virus and Malformations in Newborns

Two separate studies published over the weekend have strengthened the links between the Zika virus and malformations in newborns. The first study found that Zika can impair the normal development of fetuses inside the womb. The second study suggests that the virus attacks fetal cells which are responsible for forming a child's brain cortex.

The first study was published on The New England Journal of Medicine. Ultrasound testing showed fetuses of mothers infected with Zika have developed abnormalities such as small heads, nerve damage, blindness and shrunken placentas.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told The New York Times that the Zika virus undoubtedly played a huge role in altering the normal growth of fetuses.

He admitted that the small sample size of 88 women cannot properly mirror the rate of fetal damage in a larger population. Nevertheless, the results of the first study have greatly concerned him.

"This is going to have a chilling effect. Now there's almost no doubt that Zika is the cause," said Fauci. "There will be other studies that I believe will corroborate this."

The second study was led by neuroscientists Hongjun Song and virologist Hengli Tang. The researchers cultured multiple types of fetal cells and then infected them with the Zika virus.

Three days after the infection, 90 percent of the progenitor cells were already damaged. The progenitor cells are the ones responsible for forming the cortex of the human brain, which plays a vital role in consciousness.

Once infected, the progenitor cells did not die right away. Instead, the Zika virus used its host to clone themselves and help spread the virus even more. Song reported that the mutated cells expanded slower than normal. This means infected fetuses are at high risk of having underdeveloped brains, as per Science.

Dr. William B. Dobyns, a neurologist at Seattle Children's Research Institute, corroborated with the findings. He said if the cells that form the brain cortex grow slower than usual, "you get a small brain, but on top of that there's cell death, which means whatever the size the brain is, it will shrink."

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