• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Monday, September 29, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Biology

Postnatal identification of Zika virus peptides from saliva

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
August 21, 2017
in Biology
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Alexandria, Va., USA – For the first time, researchers are using proteomics to examine proteins and peptides in saliva in order to accurately detect exposure to Zika virus. With 70 countries and territories reporting evidence of mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission, there is an increased need for a rapid and effective test for the virus. This study, published online today in the Journal of Dental Research (JDR), offers a new, quicker and more cost-effect way to test for the virus.

By analyzing the saliva of a pregnant mother infected with Zika and her twins — one born with microcephaly and one without — the researchers were able to pinpoint the specific protein signature for Zika that is present in saliva, creating potential to use this signature as an effective way to screen for exposure. Walter Siqueira, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, Canada, and a team of international researchers also discovered important clues about how the virus passes from mother to baby and its role in the development of microcephaly, a birth defect in which a baby's head and brain is smaller than expected.

The research suggests a vertical transmission of the virus between mother and baby. The mutations in the amino acid sequence of the peptides that were different for each twin, suggesting that these mutations may play a role in whether or not a baby will develop microcephaly.

"We are very excited to publish findings that shed light on the transmission of Zika virus and present an innovative approach to assessing the presence of Zika virus," said JDR Editor-in-Chief William Giannobile. "This research has the potential to positively impact global health. By detecting the virus, the infected individuals can have their symptoms and the virus progression properly monitored, as well as take action to stop the spread of the virus which causes these devastating craniofacial defects in newborns."

Currently, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention uses blood tests to look for changes to RNA in order to diagnose Zika. The drawback to this method is that it is only able to detect the virus up to five to seven days after exposure. Siqueira points out that because the proteins and the peptides that come directly from the virus are more stable than RNA, saliva proteomics can detect the virus far longer after exposure than with the traditional method. In this case, the window of detection was extended to nine months post-infection.

The findings also open new doors for the development of antibody-based diagnostic tests for point-of-care detection. The researchers have received a provisional U.S. patent to develop a simple device that can be used to identify the Zika virus peptides in saliva outside of the laboratory.

###

This study is accompanied with a perspective article "Could the Use of Saliva Improve the Zika Diagnosis Challenge? Contributions from a Proteomics Perspective" by IADR Regional Board Member Jaime Eduardo Castellanos, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. Listen to the companion podcast moderated by JDR Associate Editor Joy Richman, "Salivary Proteomics Paves the Way for New Zika Virus Diagnostics."

To read the JDR special issue on orofacial pain, please visit http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0022034517723325 or contact Elise Bender [email protected] to access to the issue.

About the Journal of Dental Research

The IADR/AADR Journal of Dental Research is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the dissemination of new knowledge in all sciences relevant to dentistry and the oral cavity and associated structures in health and disease. At 0.02225, the JDR holds the highest Eigenfactor® Score of all dental journals publishing original research. The JDR ranks #1in Article Influence and #2 in the Two-Year Journal Impact Factor rankings with a rating of 4.755 according to the 2016 Journal Citation Reports® (Thomas Reuters, 2017).

About the International Association for Dental Research

The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is a nonprofit organization with over 10,000 individual members worldwide, dedicated to: (1) advancing research and increasing knowledge for the improvement of oral health worldwide, (2) supporting and representing the oral health research community, and (3) facilitating the communication and application of research findings. To learn more, visit http://www.iadr.org. The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) is the largest Division of IADR, with more than 3,500 members in the United States. To learn more, visit http://www.iadr.org/AADR.

Media Contact

Elise Bender
[email protected]
703-299-8084

http://www.dentalresearch.org

http://www.iadr.org/IADR/About-Us/News/ArtMID/132983/ArticleID/405/Researchers-Use-Saliva-to-Diagnose-and-Find-Clues-About-Zika-Virus

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022034517723325

Share12Tweet7Share2ShareShareShare1

Related Posts

DNA Methylation and Gene Expression in Ewes’ Hypothalamus

DNA Methylation and Gene Expression in Ewes’ Hypothalamus

September 29, 2025
Rewrite Cell death in microalgae resembles that in humans this news headline for the science magazine post

Rewrite Cell death in microalgae resembles that in humans this news headline for the science magazine post

September 29, 2025

Cornell Launches Groundbreaking Initiative to Decipher the Science of Menopause

September 29, 2025

Polymyxin B Kills by Energy-Driven Membrane Disruption

September 29, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    86 shares
    Share 34 Tweet 22
  • Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    73 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 18
  • How Donor Human Milk Storage Impacts Gut Health in Preemies

    58 shares
    Share 23 Tweet 15
  • Scientists Discover and Synthesize Active Compound in Magic Mushrooms Again

    56 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Xenopax Shows Promise in Steroid-Refractory GvHD Treatment

Electric Space Heating and Appliances Slash Residential Energy Use in the U.S.

Global Call to Advance Robust and Reproducible Polyphenol Research to Launch Next October in Malta at Polyphenols Applications World Congress and Iprona

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 61 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.