Digitally colorized transmission electron microscopic image of Zika virus.
Brazil declared an end to a public health emergency over the disease in May, 18 months after the start of an outbreak of the virus, which has been linked with birth defects including microcephaly, a condition where babies are born with skulls that are too small.
"This study suggests that treating Zika-infected pregnancies with autophagy-inhibiting drugs may lower the risk of these abnormalities, but more research is needed to confirm these findings", Spong added.
"The question is, 'Would the immunity still hold up if the virus does not pass through the bloodstream?'" said Michael Diamond, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine at Washington University, in the release. "We tested two different vaccines, and they both provided substantial protection". The findings are published in the journal Cell.
Zika made global headlines when it was linked to an epidemic of babies born with microcephaly in Brazil.
Calciomercato Roma, visite mediche in corso per Mario Rui con il Napoli
Il difensore portoghese ha firmato in quinquennale da circa 1.5 milioni l'ano e il Napoli ha pagato nove milioni alla Roma . Nel pomeriggio, infatti, il giocatore aveva anche fatto la sua prima apparizione sul campo di allenamento di Dimaro .
Currently, no vaccine or treatment is available to prevent or treat Zika virus disease or congenital Zika syndrome in humans.
The first vaccine, a "subunit" injection from Moderna Therapeutics, is in safety trials in men and women who are not pregnant. The other, a live but weakened form of the virus that was developed at UTMB, is being tested in animals. One group of nonpregnant female mice received two doses of mRNA vaccine 28 days apart, with a control group receiving two doses of placebo on the same schedule. Three weeks later, the researchers measured antibody levels in the mice's blood as a measure of the strength of their immune response.
The researchers administered hydroxychloroquine, a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug known to inhibit autophagy, to Zika-infected pregnant mice.
One week after infection, the researchers measured the amount of virus in the mothers and fetuses.
"Testing of placental tissues from live births can continue to be considered when results of maternal Zika virus testing are not definitive or testing is not performed within the optimal time", the authors wrote. As for those given the live vaccine, 78% of placentas and 83% of fetuses showed no trace of viral RNA. "It's not totally clear whether it was infectious virus or just remnants of viruses that had already been killed".
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