New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Zika-related nerve damage caused by immune response to the virus

Date:
November 20, 2017
Source:
Yale University
Summary:
The immune system's response to the Zika virus, rather than the virus itself, may be responsible for nerve-related complications of infection, according to a Yale study. This insight could lead to new ways of treating patients with Zika-related complications, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, the researchers said.
Share:
FULL STORY

The immune system's response to the Zika virus, rather than the virus itself, may be responsible for nerve-related complications of infection, according to a Yale study. This insight could lead to new ways of treating patients with Zika-related complications, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, the researchers said.

In mice models lacking a key antiviral response, infection with Zika virus causes paralysis and death. To understand the mechanism, a research team led by immunobiologist Akiko Iwasaki examined the spread of infection in these mice.

The research team found that when the Zika infection spreads from the circulating blood into the brain, immune cells known as CD8 T cells flood the brain. While these T cells sharply limit the infection of nerve cells, they also trigger Zika-related paralysis, the researchers said.

"The immune cells that are generated by infection start attacking our own neurons," Iwasaki said. "The damage is not occurring through the virus infection, but rather the immune response to the virus."

Immune-mediated nerve damage underlies Guillen-Barré syndrome, which affects some people infected with the Zika virus. The study findings suggest that suppressing the immune response might be an approach to treating the syndrome, which causes weakness, tingling, and, in rare cases, paralysis.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Yale University. Original written by Ziba Kashef. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Kellie A. Jurado, Laura J. Yockey, Patrick W. Wong, Sarah Lee, Anita J. Huttner, Akiko Iwasaki. Antiviral CD8 T cells induce Zika-virus-associated paralysis in mice. Nature Microbiology, 2017; DOI: 10.1038/s41564-017-0060-z

Cite This Page:

Yale University. "Zika-related nerve damage caused by immune response to the virus." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 November 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171120111322.htm>.
Yale University. (2017, November 20). Zika-related nerve damage caused by immune response to the virus. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 25, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171120111322.htm
Yale University. "Zika-related nerve damage caused by immune response to the virus." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171120111322.htm (accessed April 25, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES