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Zika’s Persistence in the Eye May Play a Role in Spreading the Virus, Study Finds

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Daniele Santos holds her baby Juan Pedro, who has microcephaly, on May 30 in Recife, Brazil. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE - Cell Reports - Zika Virus Infection in Mice Causes Panuveitis with Shedding of Virus in Tears

washingtonpost.com - by Lena H. Sun - September 6, 2016

Researchers have found that the Zika virus can live in eyes, and research in mice may help explain why some Zika patients develop eye disease, including a condition that can lead to permanent vision loss.

In a study published Tuesday in Cell Reports, researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis describe the effect of Zika virus infections in the eyes of mouse fetuses, newborns and adults.

The study suggests that the eye could be a reservoir for the virus. Eye infection raises the possibility that people could become infected with Zika through contact with tears from infected people, they said.

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Case of man with potentially severe condition suggests virus can damage vision in more than babies

CLICK HERE - NEJM - Uveitis Associated with Zika Virus Infection

medlineplus.gov - June 22, 2016

Doctors in Brazil report that a man infected with Zika developed a potentially severe eye condition, in another sign that the dreaded virus can harm vision in both babies and adults.

"Zika patients should report every single symptom to their doctors, especially if they present with any kind of eye symptoms," said report co-author Dr. Benedito Antonio Lopes da Fonseca, an associate professor at the University of Sao Paulo.

The patient, who was in his early 40s, recovered from the condition called uveitis, a kind of inflammation in the eye. But the condition can lead to cataracts and high blood pressure in the eye, said report lead author Dr. Joao Furtado, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the University of Sao Paulo.

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