Zika may severely damage infant's retina: study

November 14, 2016

Zika may severely damage infant’s retina: study

This post originally appeared on The Deccan Chronicle.

Washington: Zika virus can cause severe damage to retina in infants and lead to visual impairments, a new study has warned.

Researchers from Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil examined the affected retinal layers in infants with congenital Zika syndrome and associated retinal abnormalities using optical coherence tomography (OCT) – a noninvasive diagnostic imaging tool that provides cross-sectional retinal images.

An immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for Zika virus was performed on the cerebrospinal fluid samples of seven of the eight infants, and other congenital infections were ruled out, researchers said.

Among the eight infants included in the study, seven who underwent cerebrospinal fluid analysis for Zika virus had positive findings for IgM antibodies.

Eleven of the 16 eyes (69 per cent) of the eight infants had retinal alterations and OCT imaging was performed in nine (82 per cent) of them. Optical coherence tomography was also performed in one unaffected eye.

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