Boilermakers first to map Zika virus

The CDC has defined Zika as “a disease caused by [the] Zika virus that is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito.” The symptoms of Zika include rashes, joint pain, red eyes, and fever, which are all also signs that your just tired. That’s the scary part. Most people infected with Zika don’t know they are showing any of the symptoms of this disease and not something less sinister. There is also no vaccination treatment for the virus. That’s the scarier part.

On a brighter note, a team of scientists at Purdue University were the first to map the structure of the Zika virus. The team, lead by Richard Kuhn, was able to make this breakthrough by comparing the structures of the Zika virus to that of the Dengue and West Nile. Besides making vaccines, knowledge of the virus’s structure will help make faster diagnoses and better antiviral medication for victims of the disease.

“Sorting through that information, we can guide a vaccine manufacturer into improving their vaccine by understanding what are the important sites to pursue,” said team leader and professor Richard Kuhn according to Indiana Public Media.

Although other teams are trying to map the virus’s RNA in order to genetically manipulate mosquitos so they no longer spread the disease, Kuhn’s team is focused on making progress in prevention methods from the human side of things.

“How many mosquitos are out there and are we going to grab hold of them and control all of them and how many humans are out there can we, if we had a vaccine, could we vaccinate people?” Kuhn says. “I think the latter is a more effective control measure.”

And that ladies and gentlemen of Purdue, is the kind of direct, rational thinking that sets Purdue apart from the rest — once again.