Another step has been made in the potential future development of a treatment for fraught cleaning lady to protect their unborn nipper from the Zika virus , and its damaging neurologic effects . Conducted in mice , the study print inNaturefound that giving infect female person ’s antibodies taken from those who have previously had and fought off the computer virus helps protect the unborn pups .
The outcome from thestudy in mice does , however , have to be taken with a hint of caveat . This is because the contagion that the rodents go through is different to that which mankind get . Mice do n’t of course get Zika , and so have to be infect with a specially alter reading , while at the same metre have their immune scheme weakened to allow the contagion to take hold . This result is them yield parturition to pups with symptoms similar to those seen in man , namely damage to head and nervous tissue paper .
After treating the septic pregnant mice with monoclonal antibodies press out from the stemma of humans who had antecedently compress Zika but fought the virus off , the investigator found that the denseness of the virus in the female parent ’s blood dropped , and less of the virus crossed the placenta into the develop pups . The next stagecoach should be to test the process in scallywag , say the researchers , as they are naturally susceptible to Zika , as well as have more exchangeable pregnancy to humanity . Then , and only then , would it be advisable to move onto human trials .
“ This work account some significant advance in our understanding of Zika and how wemighttreat it in pregnancy,”explainsDr Derek Gantherer , who was not involved in the bailiwick . “ It also raise some motion which will call for to be addressedbeforewe arrive at that discourse . ”
While there has been a huge push to develop a vaccine since the irruption occurred , this is obviously only a preventative measuring rod , and will do nothing for those who have already shrink the virus , or may still do in the future . Because of this , there is a exculpated need to create a therapy for meaning woman who are taint for preclude their unborn child from suffer the circumstances of many who have unfortunately croak before .
“ At the moment , if a fraught fair sex is diagnose with Zika she only really has one option , whether or not to have a conclusion , ” say Professor Laura Rodrigues from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine , to BBC News . “ Even if we do one solar day have a vaccine that can protect people from catching Zika , there will still be some who will get infected . For these mass , a discussion like this antibody one would be helpful . ”
Despite the media coverage dropping after the flurry of attention earlier in the year , the threat of Zika is still present and many researcher are working to rapidly provide vaccines and treatments to serve forestall the computer virus . Hopefully this will add further to the growing body of knowledge used to fight this annihilative disease .
