Zika, a mosquito-borne virus first identified in 1947 in a Rhesus macaque monkey, continues to perplex scientists in many ways nearly 80 years later. While many people with a Zika virus infection won’t have symptoms, it is very dangerous to pregnant women. That’s because an infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly, which is when a baby's head is much smaller than expected, and other congenital malformations like limb contractures, high muscle tone, eye abnormalities, and hearing loss. There is no treatment or vaccine.
While Zika has been reported in more than 90 countries, surprisingly little is known about what exactly drives Zika transmission success. A new study published in Communications Biology shows that Zika causes metabolic changes in human skin that transform it from a barrier to a magnet for mosquitoes, furthering the scientific community’s understanding of the virus.
