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Zika

The Zika virus is a member of the flavivirus family which also includes yellow fever virus, and dengue virus,  all transmitted among humans by mosquito bites. It has recently spread world wide and is linked to several neurological disorders, including microcephaly in fetuses. 

For more information: https://www.animalresearch.info/en/medical-advances/diseases-research/zika/ 

02/02/17 Promising results for new single-dose Zika vaccine

A single-dose vaccine for Zika virus has shown to give mice and monkeys immunity against the disease. Zika remains a threat, with cases reported in 70 countries - it is of particular danger to those who are pregnant as it can cause deformities in babies. There are a number of vaccines in the pipeline, but this is the first that requires only one dose to be administered.
 
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2120160-powerful-zika-vaccine-protects-mice-and-monkeys-from-the-virus/

04/08/16 Three Zika vaccines tested successfully in mice & rhesus monkey

Three different vaccines that protect against Zika have been found effective in rhesus monkey. Human trials will begin later this year to establish that the vaccine is safe and effective in people. One approach used a harmless, inactive Zika virus replica whilst the other two used parts of the virus's genetic code. All three offered complete protection and none were linked to major side-effects.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-36975088

05/05/16 mouse model to study Zika virus has been developed using A129 mice

A mouse model to study Zika virus has been developed by researchers from Public Health England, using A129 mice. The mice were injected with a dose of Zika similar to the dose known to be transmitted via mosquito bites. The mice developed the disease which accumulated in many organs, including the brain. Normal mice are resistant to infection with Zika virus via the skin therefore researchers have turned to mice with mutations in certain immune system genes to test whether they are suitable animal models for the disease.
The researchers conclude that the study "provides details on a suitable small animal model for the testing of future interventions against Zika virus that can accelerate the testing of novel interventions against this pathogen declared as public health emergency of international concern".

Orhttp://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0004658

29/03/16 Mouse Model for Zika Virus Enables Immediate Screening of Potential Drugs and Vaccines

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston (UTMB) announced the first peer-reviewed publication of a mouse model for Zika infection. The study was published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (AJTMH).

http://www.alnmag.com/news/2016/03/mouse-model-zika-virus-enables-immediate-screening-potential-drugs-and-vaccines

28/03/16 The Zika Fight - Monkeys and Mice and Mosquitoes, Oh My!

The virus was first discovered in 1947 in a Rhesus monkey and was used to monitor for the presence of yellow fever in Uganda. Serum from the monkey was introduced into mice and when the mice became sick the virus isolated from their brains and called Zika virus. Monkeys are naturally infected by Zika virus and can be used to model an immune response, Rhesus macaques especially so as their immune responses closely resemble those of humans. Moreover, the stages of foetal development in macaques are very well characterised. Studying the effect of the virus on the foetus would be backed by very rich and well described data

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mia-rozenbaum/zika-fight-_b_9538752.html

 

29/03/16 Mouse Model for Zika Virus Enables Immediate Screening of Potential Drugs and Vaccines

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston (UTMB) announced the first peer-reviewed publication of a mouse model for Zika infection. The study was published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (AJTMH).

http://www.alnmag.com/news/2016/03/mouse-model-zika-virus-enables-immediate-screening-potential-drugs-and-vaccines

28/03/16 The Zika Fight - Animal models

The virus was first discovered in 1947 in a Rhesus monkey and was used to monitor for the presence of yellow fever in Uganda. Serum from the monkey was introduced into mice and when the mice became sick the virus isolated from their brains and called Zika virus. Monkeys are naturally infected by Zika virus and can be used to model an immune response, Rhesus macaques especially so as their immune responses closely resemble those of humans. Moreover, the stages of foetal development in macaques are very well characterised. Studying the effect of the virus on the foetus would be backed by very rich and well described data

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mia-rozenbaum/zika-fight-_b_9538752.html

07/03/15 A pregnant rhesus macaques was infected with Zika virus 

Primary objectives:

  • Assess whether fetal development is impacted by maternal infection with French Polynesian Zika virus during the first pregnancy trimester
  • Measure concentration of Zika virus RNA in amniotic fluid and virus transmission to the fetus
  • Pilot methods for studying Zika virus infection during pregnancy

https://dholk.primate.wisc.edu/project/dho/public/Zika/public/ZIKV-003/begin.view

 

16/02/16 WHO approves use of genetically modified mosquitoes to fight Zika virus 

On Tuesday the World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement regarding the spread of Zika virus. The statement encouraged the use of genetically modified mosquitoes to fight the disease, however it also said that further research was needed to evaluate the new techniques.

Zika is a disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and whilst the disease originated in Africa, it has spread to French Polynesia in the Pacific, and to Brazil and Colombia in the last decade. More than 13 countries in the Americas have reported sporadic infections and even though the disease is relatively mild, infection in pregnant women has been repeatedly linked with a condition in babies called microcephaly and an illness in adults called Guillain-Barré syndrome.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/16/who-paves-way-for-use-of-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-to-combat-zika



Last edited: 19 January 2018 13:58

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