Zika virus --> birth defects?

[Pingu]

No

[VoxRat]

No

We must be thinking about this the wrong way.
We need Dave Hawkins to explain to us how this virus - like all viruses - is Good (else God wouldn't have made it).
Or immediately direct all viral research money into asking the question: "What did we do to piss this virus off?"

[Entropy]

We must be thinking about this the wrong way.
We need Dave Hawkins to explain to us how this virus - like all viruses - is Good (else God wouldn't have made it).
Or immediately direct all viral research money into asking the question: "What did we do to piss this virus off?"

Look, its just like bees and flowers. You know, like how bees visit flowers and give all their offspring birth defects

[VoxRat]

Look, its just like bees and flowers. You know, like how bees visit flowers and give all their offspring birth defects

Well, actually the dave's analogy does work a little better in this case.

One reason it was a crap analogy for viruses transducing genes is that the virus participates inextricably in the genetic exchange: it integrates its genome into the hosts. The virus and its genome cease to exist as a separate entity during its lysogenic & reproductive phases. Very much unlike a bee carrying pollen: the bee's DNA never interacts with the plants'; the bee never ceases to exist as a separate entity.

But here, we have something very bee-like! In fact, a flying insect - the mosquito. The bee-like entity picks up a genome from one eukaryotic host (the Zika virus genome) and "pollinates" another eukaryotic host with the viral genome, without itself ever donating or compromising its own genome, and without having to cease to exist in the process!

In fact, the analogy is even better, now that I think of it it, because the flying insect does all this as a by-product of gathering food for itself.

What a beautiful system!!

[Worldtraveller]

The pop-sci articles about this virus are starting to hit social media, with the usual, 'this could be the next plague' type headlines.

Good times.

So, does this virus have much effect on a relatively healthy person?

[buttershug]

The pop-sci articles about this virus are starting to hit social media, with the usual, 'this could be the next plague' type headlines.

Good times.

So, does this virus have much effect on a relatively healthy person?

And of course as usual the devil is in the details. A world wide plague where everyone gets a little head doesn't sound all that bad.

[VoxRat]

The pop-sci articles about this virus are starting to hit social media, with the usual, 'this could be the next plague' type headlines.

Good times.

So, does this virus have much effect on a relatively healthy person?

I think most people who get infected are asymptomatic. Those who do have symptoms, usually they aren't that bad. I don't think there's any data that say those who get the symptoms are otherwise less healthy (i.e. immune deficient or malnourished or something) than those who don't.

It seems like the main cause for concern is the birth-defect thing.

[Entropy]

I think most people who get infected are asymptomatic. Those who do have symptoms, usually they aren't that bad. I don't think there's any data that say those who get the symptoms are otherwise less healthy (i.e. immune deficient or malnourished or something) than those who don't.

It seems like the main cause for concern is the birth-defect thing.

The movie Children of Men is getting mentioned a lot in association with this virus...

[Worldtraveller]

And of course as usual the devil is in the details. A world wide plague where everyone gets a little head doesn't sound all that bad.

I like the way you think!

I think most people who get infected are asymptomatic. Those who do have symptoms, usually they aren't that bad. I don't think there's any data that say those who get the symptoms are otherwise less healthy (i.e. immune deficient or malnourished or something) than those who don't.

It seems like the main cause for concern is the birth-defect thing.

We could use a good reduction in population. Better to do it voluntarily by not having children, but this is almost as good.

[VoxRat]

The med school/hospital where I work is having an information session about this next week. Maybe I'll be able to relay some news.

[SkepticTank]

I think most people who get infected are asymptomatic. Those who do have symptoms, usually they aren't that bad. I don't think there's any data that say those who get the symptoms are otherwise less healthy (i.e. immune deficient or malnourished or something) than those who don't.

It seems like the main cause for concern is the birth-defect thing.

That's what I've heard on the news as well, but my friend that has it says it's pretty bad. Not as bad as Dengue (which he has also had) but fever and skin sores. Not pleasant.

[VoxRat]

That's what I've heard on the news as well, but my friend that has it says it's pretty bad. Not as bad as Dengue (which he has also had) but fever and skin sores. Not pleasant.

Clearly there's a range of disease severity. Your friend seems to be at the high end of the spectrum.

It's conceivable that the previous experience with Dengue sets him up for a worse experience. That happens when you get infected with Dengue a second time (with a different strain). The immunity you get from the first infection not only doesn't protect you from the second strain, it makes it worse. And it's known that zika antibodies cross-react with Dengue.

I'll see if I can get an answer to that at our information session next week.

[Monad]

Once you've had Zika how long after that are you then immune for? Since it's not a life threatening illness, and in many cases completely unsymptomatic, maybe the best protection until a vaccine is developed is to actually catch it before getting pregnant? Or is it like Dengue in that there are several strains and catching one strain actually makes cases of other strains more severe due to antibody dependent enhancement?

[VoxRat]

Once you've had Zika how long after that are you then immune for?

Generalizing from other viruses, I'd say about 2 weeks.

Since it's not a life threatening illness, and in many cases completely unsymptomatic, maybe the best protection until a vaccine is developed is to actually catch it before getting pregnant? Or is it like Dengue in that there are several strains and catching one strain actually makes cases of other strains more severe due to antibody dependent enhancement?

We're in uncharted territory here.

[Monad]

How come 2 weeks? Most viral infection vaccines seem to confer immunity for years except for things like flu that shuffle their genetic makeup regularly (or dengue with multiple strains).

[VoxRat]

How come 2 weeks? Most viral infection vaccines seem to confer immunity for years except for things like flu that shuffle their genetic makeup regularly (or dengue with multiple strains).

Sorry... misread the question.
I meant it takes two weeks to become immune.
Once you have it, I expect the immunity would last for decades.

[Monad]

This seems to suggest it is possible to develop immunity to Zika (even from other viruses with similar antigens)

http://www.catchnews.com/social-sect...453802969.html

several reports I've read are saying the reason it's exploding in S America is the population has no natural immunity

[Monad]

Sorry... misread the question.
I meant it takes two weeks to become immune.
Once you have it, I expect the immunity would last for decades.

OK so let's have some Zika parties - bring your own mozzies

OK that wasn't serious - mozzies may cary other nastier bugs, but maybe the best vaccine against Zika right now is Zika itself, but when people choose to get it, not when pregnant?

[VoxRat]

Zika-linked condition: WHO declares global emergency

Experts are worried that the virus is spreading far and fast, with devastating consequences. ...
WHO director general, Margaret Chan called Zika an "extraordinary event" that needed a co-ordinated response.
"I am now declaring that the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in Latin America following a similar cluster in French Polynesia in 2014 constitutes a public health emergency of international concern." ...
Dr Chan justified declaring an emergency even amid uncertainties about the disease, saying it was time to take action.
The WHO faced heavy criticism for waiting too long to declare the Ebola outbreak a public emergency.

[VoxRat]

It seems there's been at least one pretty well-documented case of sexual transmission of Zika virus infection.

[rmacfarl]

reverse engineering

The biological control involves releasing populations of mosquitoes that have been infected with a commonly occurring species of bacteria, called Wolbachia.
The bacteria effectively inoculate the mosquitoes against the dengue virus. The treated populations then out-compete their dengue-carrying rivals, greatly reducing their numbers. Small-scale trials of the strategy started in 2011, and have so far been carried out in Queensland, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brazil.
The largest trial so far kicked off in 2014, with the release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes throughout Townsville.
The viruses that cause dengue and Zika are very closely related. Both are members of the Flavivirus family, which also includes the yellow fever and West Nile viruses. Both are transmitted by the same species of mosquito, known as Aedes aegypti.
"We have done the experimental work and it's currently winding its way through pre-publication," said O'Neill.
"It shows that Wolbachia blocks Zika in an almost identical way, so where we've put it out to block dengue the mosquito populations are also resistant to Zika."

http://www.theage.com.au/national/zi...03-gmkpx3.html

[VoxRat]

reverse engineering

http://www.theage.com.au/national/zi...03-gmkpx3.html

I see a potential problem here.
Well, first of all, West Nile is carried not by Aedes aegypti, (or any other Aedes ), but by culicine species of mosquitoes. IIUC.

But other than that, Zika virus is carried by multiple species of Aedes. I think these wolbachia schemes rely on vertical (mother mosquito -> offspring) transmission, so you would need to "wolbachi-fy" all the relevant Aedes species in a given area.

[VoxRat]

Another case of sexually transmitted Zika

But I still doubt that's going to be a major factor in the spread of this virus.

Frieden added that studies on sexual transmission are not easy studies to do, but the CDC is continuing to explore that avenue of transmission. "What we know is the vast majority of spread is going to be from mosquitoes," Frieden added. "The bottom line is mosquitoes are the real culprit here."

[Monad]

Once you've had Zika how long after that are you then immune for? Since it's not a life threatening illness, and in many cases completely unsymptomatic, maybe the best protection until a vaccine is developed is to actually catch it before getting pregnant? Or is it like Dengue in that there are several strains and catching one strain actually makes cases of other strains more severe due to antibody dependent enhancement?

Looks like I was right about antibody dependent enhancement - only it's even worse, antibodies to dengue can enhance Zika infection and possibly also the risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome:

http://www.virology.ws/2016/04/27/an...by-zika-virus/