Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
Date: Fri 8 Jan 2016
From: Mauricio Lacerda Nogueira, MD, PhD <mauricio.nogueira@pq.cnpq.br> [edited]
I saw several microcephalic cases and the images from several others. From my point of view (and of several colleagues) we are not talking about a teratogenic issue. What I do believe is that we have a normal formation of the brain and after that the Zika [virus] (or other unknown factor) infects and destroys the brain tissue. We can see that because of the lack of damage of brainstem and the cerebellum (the last in most of the cases). So the infection is not in the 1st trimester but later in pregnancy. The images are really very impressive. Unfortunately I cannot share [them] at this point (because they are not from my patients and I received them for educational purposes) but I do believe that a couple of publications will be released soon and this will clarify a lot of the questions.
Also ZIKA was found in a couple of fetal tissue samples by the Evandro Chagas Institute and FIOCRUZ. We will also get out new publications about it soon.
--
Communicated by:
Mauricio Lacerda Nogueira, MD, PhD
Laboratiorio de Pesquisas em Virologia
Departamento de Doencas Dermatologicas, Infecciosas e Parasitarias
Faculdade de Medicina de Sao Jose do Rio Preto - FAMERP
Brazil
From: Mauricio Lacerda Nogueira, MD, PhD <mauricio.nogueira@pq.cnpq.br> [edited]
I saw several microcephalic cases and the images from several others. From my point of view (and of several colleagues) we are not talking about a teratogenic issue. What I do believe is that we have a normal formation of the brain and after that the Zika [virus] (or other unknown factor) infects and destroys the brain tissue. We can see that because of the lack of damage of brainstem and the cerebellum (the last in most of the cases). So the infection is not in the 1st trimester but later in pregnancy. The images are really very impressive. Unfortunately I cannot share [them] at this point (because they are not from my patients and I received them for educational purposes) but I do believe that a couple of publications will be released soon and this will clarify a lot of the questions.
Also ZIKA was found in a couple of fetal tissue samples by the Evandro Chagas Institute and FIOCRUZ. We will also get out new publications about it soon.
--
Communicated by:
Mauricio Lacerda Nogueira, MD, PhD
Laboratiorio de Pesquisas em Virologia
Departamento de Doencas Dermatologicas, Infecciosas e Parasitarias
Faculdade de Medicina de Sao Jose do Rio Preto - FAMERP
Brazil