Molecular Responses to the Zika Virus in Mosquitoes

Molecular Responses to the Zika Virus in Mosquitoes

Blog Article

The Zika virus (ZIKV), originally discovered in 1947, did not become a major concern until the virus swept trailmaster challenger 200x across the Pacific and into the Americas in the last decade, bringing with it news of neurological complications and birth defects in ZIKV affected areas.This prompted researchers to dissect the molecular interactions between ZIKV and the mosquito vector in an attempt to better understand not only the changes that occur upon infection, but to also identify molecules that may potentially enhance or suppress a mosquito’s ability to become infected and/or transmit the hindirochakkahaniya.com virus.Here, we review what is currently known regarding ZIKV-mosquito molecular interactions, focusing on ZIKV infection of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, the primary species implicated in transmitting ZIKV during the recent outbreaks.