Study suggests naturally-acquired immunity against Zika virus may already occur

One of the most troubling aspects of Zika virus is the fact that the disease is known to cause severe, sometimes even life-threatening birth defects in infected babies. However, new research—published in PLOS Pathogens—suggests that some mothers living in particularly high-risk regions may have naturally-acquired immunity against the virus and these protective effects may continue throughout pregnancy. In addition, this immunity could be transferred to susceptible women that have not acquired immunity naturally, at least in theory. For the study, investigators from the Cincinnati Children’s Perinatal Institute took a closer look at Zika infection in mice. Two groups of pregnant mice were infected with the virus: one group was reinfected with the virus after it was confirmed that they had cleared a previous asymptomatic infection, and one group had no previous infection. What the researchers found was surprising—mice that were previously infected with the virus, but had not shown any symptoms, had...