New type of host defence against Zika, dengue infections revealed
The HinduThe mere presence of a virus in a bodily fluid doesn’t mean it is transmitted via that route. Since the PS receptor is expressed by many cells – apart from some cells of the immune system – the virus tends to be present in multiple compartments. The researchers discovered these extracellular vesicles are abundant in saliva and semen and contain the same PS lipids on their surface that viruses like Zika use for infection. The group also showed that all viruses that use the PS receptor for apoptotic mimicry – the dengue, chikungunya, West Nile, ebola, and the vesicular stomatitis viruses – are inhibited by the presence of extracellular vesicles. The vesicles’ presence didn’t affect the infectivity of viruses that don’t use the PS receptor for entry, such as HIV and SARS-CoV-2.
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