Zika virus can cause similar brain damage to Alzheimer’s in adults, study finds
The infection - known to cause serious birth defects in babies - is now thought to cause long-term brain damage in adults
THE Zika virus can cause similar damage to Alzheimer’s in adults, researchers have found.
They say it can “wreak havoc” on cells vital to learning and memory.
The news comes as official figures show 53 Brits have been diagnosed with the mosquito-borne virus.
It is already linked to microcephaly, where babies are born with small heads and brain damage.
Its effect on adults other than pregnant women was thought to be minor, causing fever in some but no symptoms in others.
Experts now fear Zika attacks adult brain stem cells.
In tests on mice engineered to mimic human Zika virus they found it stops neurons being replenished in learning and memory circuits.
They used fluorescent tags to show where the bug invaded brain cells.
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Prof Joseph Gleeson, of New York’s Rockefeller University, called the results dramatic, adding: “In the parts of the brain that lit up, it was like a Christmas tree.
“Getting infected with Zika as an adult may not be as innocuous as people think.
“The virus could theoretically impact long-term memory.”
A weaker immune system may raise the risk, the scientists said.
They called for public health groups to monitor everyone infected, not just mums-to-be.
Zika has been caught in more than 60 countries, including Spain and the US.
The World Health Organisation says it is a global public health emergency.