Researchers report that a mutation in the genome of the Zika virus acquired before its spread to the Americas may have increased virulence and maternal-to-fetal transmission, with experiments in nonhuman primates showing that the mutation did not affect infection through mosquito bites but instead affected fitness and transmission, according to the authors.
Article #20-05722: "A Zika virus envelope mutation preceding the 2015 epidemic enhances virulence and fitness for transmission," by Chao Shan et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Pei-Yong Shi, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, TX; e-mail: peshi@utmb.edu
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences