Highlights
- Researchers have found the presence of the Zika virus infection in tears in animal studies conducted in mice.
- This finding could have several implications in humans.
- Further studies in humans could help to understand the significance of these findings in humans.
Researchers have found that genetic material of the virus can be detected in the tears of mice infected with the virus. For the experiment, the researchers introduced the virus under the skin of mice, just as it is inoculated under the human skin by the Aedes mosquito. After seven days, genetic material from the virus was detected in the tears of the mice.
The researchers suggest that there are several clinical implications of their findings.
- Though the viral material isolated from the tears is non-infective in nature, the possibility of transmission of the virus through tears of patients should not be completely ruled out and should be further explored.
- The duration that the viral material remains in the eye could give an indication of how long the patient may be infective. The researchers found the genetic material in the tears of the infected mice even 28 days following the infection.
- If the virus persists in the cornea, it can be transferred accidentally from a cornea donor to a recipient during transplantation. Therefore, it may be necessary to test the cornea for the Zika virus before transplantation.
- It may be possible to test a person whether he/she is positive for Zika through a test conducted on the tears. Obtaining a tear sample is much easier than obtaining a blood sample, especially in places with poor resources.
- The study has also implications for drug research. Medications for Zika can be tested on the eyes of animals to test for their effectiveness against the virus.
Source-Medindia