Once harmless, the Zika virus became lethal after a single genetic mutation
“Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences tested a collection of Zika virus samples taken over time to see how their genetic structure had changed. Comparing strains harvested in 2015 with one collected in Cambodia in 2010, they identified seven sites where the virus's RNA had changed. Each change altered Zika's surface protein by just one feature: a single amino acid.
....
“Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences tested a collection of Zika virus samples taken over time to see how their genetic structure had changed. Comparing strains harvested in 2015 with one collected in Cambodia in 2010, they identified seven sites where the virus's RNA had changed. Each change altered Zika's surface protein by just one feature: a single amino acid.
....
The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has supported much of the research that has characterised the Zika virus, though not the genetic research out this week. NIAID's director, Dr Anthony Fauci, called the new report a "very elegant molecular study".
The findings from China underscore the importance of tracking not just a virus' journey across a human landscape, but also the molecular changes it undergoes along the way, he said.
"This adds insight into our understanding of the world of viruses," Fauci said.“
No comments:
Post a Comment