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                          Zika Virus Structure Mapped

   by VOA News

   Researchers have determined the structure of the Zika virus.

   The "near-atomic level map" shows Zika to be similar to the dengue
   virus, and other flaviviruses.

   The one key difference lies in a "key surface protein," according to
   research funded by the [1]National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
   Diseases.

   The discovery could lead to a better understanding of how the virus
   works in the human body, which in turn, could lead to better drugs and
   vaccines.

   Researchers said that the variation in the E glycoprotein of the Zika
   virus could explain the "ability of the virus to attack nerve cells, as
   well as the associations of Zika virus infection with birth defects and
   the autoimmune-neurological Guillian-Barré syndrome."

   Created by researchers at Purdue University, the map was done by
   freezing particles of the virus and shooting high-energy electrons to
   create "tens of thousands of two-dimensional electron micrograph images
   that are then combined to yield a composite high-resolution,
   three-dimensional view of the virus."

   Scientists have known about Zika since it was discovered in Uganda in
   1947, but only recently have realized its potential danger.

   Starting in October, the mosquito-borne virus began to spread,
   particularly in Brazil, where it has been potentially linked to a birth
   defect called microcephaly, in which fetal brains are abnormally small.
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   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/mht-zika-virus-structure-mapped/32649
   59.html

References

   1. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2016/Pages/Zika-structure.aspx
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/mht-zika-virus-structure-mapped/3264959.html