By Rachel Feltman
Zika, the mosquito-borne virus (click here) linked to microcephaly in the fetuses of infected women, just lost a little bit of its edge to researchers. On Thursday, a Purdue University team published the virus's structure for the first time in the journal Science.
By outlining the physical structure of the virus in near-atomic detail, they have made it possible for scientists to determine the unique properties that make Zika so dangerous — and how those abilities might be knocked out with vaccines and treatments.
Zika is a flavivirus — a member of the same family as other mosquito-borne illnesses, such as dengue, West Nile and yellow fever — and its strong similarity with those better-understood viruses was confirmed in the study. But scientists are most interested in what makes Zika different....
It is a very unique addition to the Flavivirus. Every one of them are killers, though.
The research facility handling this virus research has to be very secure. Is there any chance Sandoz has IgG for similar virus.
...It shares a basic structure with all flaviviruses: Genetic info in the form of RNA is surrounded by a fatty membrane, then encased in a protein shell with a 20-sided face. The protein shells are made of 180 copies of two different proteins, each composed of chains of different amino acids. Once inside a target cell, the virus breaks apart and forces the host to do its bidding, replacing the instructions coded into the cell's DNA with those programmed by viral RNA....
...Zika differs most from other flaviviruses at a spot thought to be crucial to the cellular break-in. At this site, a carbohydrate molecule — made of different sugars — sits on the virus's protein shell. The so-called glycosylation site where Zika differs actually protrudes from the shell of the virus....
The carbohydrate surprises me. It doesn't consume carbohydrates or lipids. If I remember correctly, brain tissue loves carbohydrates. The virus is highly specialized. The amino acids make sense. The carbohydrate molecule has to be where it assaults the DNA of the gamete. That carbohydrate stem probably has a consistent shape and structure. I would think if an antibody and/or a vaccine can attach to that carbohydrate stem it will remove the virus' capacity.
Is every of the 20 surfaces the same? Are there variations in one plate to another? Is every surface capable of attaching to the victim cell? The only reason I can think of such structure exists is if the surface is identical on every one of the twenty surface, it is an opportunistic virus that simply bumps into a host cell and attaches. It has no other motility except bumping around the body's fluids. The host cell gateway has to be duplicated to be available outside the cell.
Is every of the 20 surfaces the same? Are there variations in one plate to another? Is every surface capable of attaching to the victim cell? The only reason I can think of such structure exists is if the surface is identical on every one of the twenty surface, it is an opportunistic virus that simply bumps into a host cell and attaches. It has no other motility except bumping around the body's fluids. The host cell gateway has to be duplicated to be available outside the cell.
When the virus thinks it entered the host cell, the protein shell breaks down. If that dynamic can be captured outside the cell it can be defeated. It will spontaneously destroy it's own protein shell as soon as it understands it is in the cell, ie: carbohydrate stem.
How long does this virus live within the body? Let's say there are no host cells available, will the virus die in a short period of time or does it have longevity to allow an opportunity to occur.
How long does this virus live within the body? Let's say there are no host cells available, will the virus die in a short period of time or does it have longevity to allow an opportunity to occur.
By Mayo Clinic Staff
No antiviral medications have proved helpful in treating yellow fever. As a result, treatment consists primarily of supportive care in a hospital. This includes providing fluids and oxygen, maintaining adequate blood pressure, replacing blood loss, providing dialysis for kidney failure, and treating any other infections that develop. Some people receive transfusions of plasma to replace blood proteins that improve clotting.
If you have yellow fever, your doctor will likely recommend that you stay inside, away from mosquitoes, to avoid transmitting the disease to others. Once you've have yellow fever, you'll be immune to the disease for the rest of your life....
There is a difference between medication and vaccine. There is a very good chance the people that contracted the virus were in lesser than optimal health and were not vaccinated for yellow fever. If they were vaccinated than it speaks to the specialized nature of the virus.
...A single dose of the yellow fever vaccine provides protection for at least 10 years. Side effects are usually mild, lasting five to 10 days, and may include headaches, low-grade fevers, muscle pain, fatigue and soreness at the site of injection. More-significant reactions — such as developing a syndrome similar to actual yellow fever, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or death — can occur, most often in infants and older adults. The vaccine is considered safest for those between the ages of 9 months and 60 years....
What is the chance other vaccines will act upon it?
My last thought is the parents. Do they have an antibody to the virus now that they survived it?
Good luck.
There is a difference between medication and vaccine. There is a very good chance the people that contracted the virus were in lesser than optimal health and were not vaccinated for yellow fever. If they were vaccinated than it speaks to the specialized nature of the virus.
...A single dose of the yellow fever vaccine provides protection for at least 10 years. Side effects are usually mild, lasting five to 10 days, and may include headaches, low-grade fevers, muscle pain, fatigue and soreness at the site of injection. More-significant reactions — such as developing a syndrome similar to actual yellow fever, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or death — can occur, most often in infants and older adults. The vaccine is considered safest for those between the ages of 9 months and 60 years....
What is the chance other vaccines will act upon it?
My last thought is the parents. Do they have an antibody to the virus now that they survived it?
Good luck.
