While other viruses can produce similar effects, this is the first time this specific behavior has been spotted. Researchers ...

Researchers discovered that Zika virus constructs nanotubes to transport infection across the placental barrier undetected.

In the human placenta, there are placental villi, and the surface of the villi consists of syncytiotrophoblast, also called barrier cells, that serve as the main barrier against foreign substances.

The Zika virus builds tiny tunnels, called tunneling nanotubes, to stealthily transport material needed to infect nearby ...

In 2015, an outbreak of Zika virus triggered an epidemic in the Americas. People infected with Zika, typically via a mosquito ...

Until now, how the virus manages to cross the placenta, which nurtures the developing fetus and forms a strong barrier against microbes and chemicals that could harm the fetus, has not been clear.

It's one way the virus crosses the placental barrier, transmitting from mother to fetus during pregnancy without raising alarm in the immune system. The team also demonstrated, for the first time ...