Can the novel coronavirus spreading with renewed vigour be stopped?
Even as 18 countries/regions have reported 67 cases of novel coronavirus as on January 28 morning, no confirmed case has been reported so far in India. But it must be…
Category: Zika virus
Transgenic mosquitoes transfer genes to native mosquito species
Transfer of genes from genetically-modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to naturally-occurring ones were seen in Brazil where transgenic mosquitoes were released from June 2013 to September 2015. Contrary to claims made, genes…
Malarial drug effective for Zika virus treatment, IIT Mandi finds
IIT Mandi team has found that the FDA-approved drug for malaria (hydroxychloroquine or HCQ) binds to the protease enzyme of the Zika virus and stops the virus from replicating and…
What the latest Zika outbreak in India means
A small study undertaken at JIPMER has found Zika virus antibodies in 14 of 90 patients with Guillain–Barré syndrome. This indicates that there might be a remote possibility of Zika virus silently circulating in…
Podcast: How Zika virus causes microcephaly
Pankaj Seth of National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) explains how he and his team identified the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which Zika virus causes microcephaly. They found the envelop protein…
NBRC-led team deciphers how Zika virus causes microcephaly
The NBRC-led team of researchers has identified the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which Zika virus causes microcephaly. The envelop protein of the virus was responsible for arresting the proliferation of human…
A rapid diagnostic test for Zika, dengue viruses developed
A low-cost, easy-to-use, rapid diagnostic test for diagnosing Zika and dengue viruses and differentiate between the four serotypes of dengue virus has been developed. It has high sensitivity and specificity…
The Asian Zika virus strain turns out to be more dangerous
The Asian strain showed greater ability to trigger immune suppression, which allows the virus to replicate and even possibly sneak into the womb and cause more foetal damage. Clinical studies…
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