Sartorisu-Sowmya eBook - 27

DECIPHERING THE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO VIRAL INFECTION

Zika virus, which is spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes,
typically does not affect most of those it infects - low-grade fever
being the most noticeable symptom. However, fetuses exposed to
Zika in the womb are at risk for devastating neurological defects.
One of those defects, microcephaly - a smaller-than-usual head
size - gained prominence in 2015 with Brazil reporting an unusual
number of cases in babies born to mothers infected with the virus.
Sadly, as those infants have become toddlers, many can't see,
walk, chew, or talk and will require a lifetime of care, according
to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the
U.S., there have been approximately 2,483 pregnant women
infected with Zika and 116 infants born with Zika-associated
birth defects since 2015.
In the current study, the researchers examined the immune
systems of pregnant women through blood samples taken
during the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy. They
compared blood samples from 30 Zika-infected, pregnant
women in Brazil with 30 healthy pregnant women in Brazil and
14 in Los Angeles.
Specifically, the researchers were looking at cytokines, which
are messenger chemicals released by the body in response
to an infection. Across a panel of 69 cytokines screened, they
identified 16 cytokines that appeared to be associated with
Zika-induced abnormal births.

27 | GENengnews.com

"Extensive multiplexing analysis of 69 cytokines revealed
that CXCL10, CCL2, and CCL8 chemokines were specifically
associated with symptomatic ZIKV+ infection during
pregnancy, and distinct immunoprofiles were detected at
different trimesters in ZIKV-infected pregnant women," the
authors wrote. "Intriguingly, the high CCL2 level and its
inverse correlation with CD163, TNFRSF1A, and CCL22
levels were apparently associated with ZIKV-induced
abnormal birth."
At the moment, the research team isn't sure whether the
messenger chemicals cause the birth defects or are secreted in
response to something else.
"Ultrasound is routinely used during pregnancy to check
a baby's condition, but there's a limit to what can be seen.
Magnetic resonance imaging can give clear, high-resolution
'snapshots' of the fetus, but there are safety concerns for the
baby, and it is recommended for second- and third-trimester
pregnancy," concluded co-lead study investigator Weiqiang
Chen, Ph.D., a research associate in the department of
molecular microbiology and immunology at the Keck School of
Medicine. "Our findings identified a panel of biomarkers which
may potentially be useful in predicting Zika-associated fetal
outcomes regardless of pregnancy stages, simply by evaluating
the mothers' blood." n
http://www.GENengnews.com
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