1.65 mi of women are at risk of having zika, says study

London - A team of British and American scientists concluded that 1.65 million women of childbearing age in Central America and South America are at risk of contracting the virus zika at the end of the first wave of the epidemic, according to a study released this Monday by the portal "Nature Microbiology".

The survey, conducted by experts from Southampton University (England), Oxford (England) and Notre Dame (United States), revealed that the number could increase to 90 million infections in the same region during periods of spreading zika.

The virus zika existed for decades, but has recently become an emergency international health because of its association with severe malformations in newborns and its rapid spread in these two areas of the planet.

The report shows the spread that would zika at the local level, following the analysis of patterns such as weather, incubation period and form of transmission.

"This projection is important to understand the extent of this epidemic and help plan supervisory measures and response to outbreaks," said Andrew Tatem, a geographer at the University of Southampton.

"It is difficult to predict precisely how many women of childbearing age are at risk of contracting the virus, since many affected have no symptoms, which invalidates the only methods based on data coming from case studies," he said.

Another study released on Monday by the journal "Nature Structural & Molecular Biology" resolved the key molecular structure of the NS1 protein produced by the disease and who may participate in the reproduction of the virus and its interaction with the immune system.

The University of Michigan and Purdue, USA, revealed that despite the similarity with other viruses, the structure of NS1 in virus zika "has important differences", since "will guide the development of a potential vaccine or antiviral drugs ".

The document states that the outer surface of the biomolecule in question has electrical properties substantially different load to other flaviviruses, which causes otherwise impact the components of the immune system infected.

"The understanding of its structure and functions help us identify targets for inhibitors that block important viral processes and treat the infection," he said the report's co-author Richard Kuhn, professor of biological sciences at Purdue University.

David L. Akey, scientist at the University of Michigan, said that the genetic sequence of the NS1 protein changes with time, reason "why have a different appearance in the immune system of infected in Brazil against the Africans."