Prenatal blood test can predict fetal malformations associated with Zika virus

The sudden and widespread outbreak of Zika virus in 2016 scared pregnant women, especially those residing in endemic areas in Zika, such as Brazil, as well as those living in the United States . Their fear was justified considering the link that exists between infection with the Zika virus during pregnancy. to have a small head, a condition called microcephaly and other conbad anomalies

The lack of early prenatal diagnosis, or treatment, conbad abnormalities left thousands of mothers waiting for the well-being of their baby. Others, meanwhile, have terminated their pregnancies rather than risk having a child with birth defects.

Our research focuses on mosquito-borne viruses, such as the Chikungunya virus and the Zika virus. Each causes a distinct set of symptoms. The chikungunya virus causes persistent debilitating joint pain in the adult and neurological symptoms in the child; The Zika virus causes abnormalities in babies. In Jae Jung's lab at the University of Southern California, we study the mechanisms underlying the devastating consequences of these viral infections and develop new prenatal diagnostic tests to determine whether Zika babies are healthy.

Zika and Pregnancy

Zika is the first mosquito net virus known to cause birth defects. Aedes aegypti one of the most invasive and widespread mosquito species, is the main vector of Zika transmission. When healthy people, who are not pregnant, are infected with the Zika virus, the infection often escapes the attention because the symptoms are mild or negligible. However, infection during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and various fetal abnormalities such as eye abnormalities, neurological disorders and, in more severe cases, microcephaly.

Health workers try to badess the health status of Zika babies by ultrasound in the second trimester or later. But it is difficult to see from these images if the baby has developmental abnormalities.

On the other hand, fetal MRI captures high-resolution snapshots of the fetus. But this imaging technique can only be used in the second and third trimesters, when it is more difficult to terminate a pregnancy. A diagnostic test that can detect abnormalities early in pregnancy may ease the mother's stress and facilitate rapid reproductive decision-making.

Development of a new diagnostic test

In Brazil, other epidemics co-circulated. mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue virus and chikungunya virus. We also chose to take blood samples from women in the United States where these viruses are not endemic. In our recent research, we examined blood samples from 74 pregnant women: 30 were positive for zika, 30 were negative, and 14 were women in Los Angeles. This study was led by Jae Jung, in collaboration with Patrícia Brasil of the Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas in Brazil and Karin Nielsen-Saines and Genhong Cheng of UCLA.

Our results revealed a high production of 16 specific protein biomarkers, present in the blood of pregnant women who gave birth to a baby with developmental delay. and eye abnormalities. These biomarkers are potentially useful for predicting the outcome of Zika pregnancies by simply using blood samples from the expectant mother at any stage of pregnancy.

The number of Zika cases has declined significantly as a result of the major outbreaks of 2016. Yet, many Zika babies still suffer the dire consequences of a prenatal infection. With the widespread abundance of mosquitoes Aedes and the fact that the Zika virus has not been eradicated, new outbreaks of Zika can occur at any time.

We continue our research to understand how Zika virus disrupts fetal development, treatment strategies for babies affected by the virus, and ways to prevent Zika virus infection. We can only ensure the health of future generations if we have a thorough understanding of Zika infections.