Zika virus may spread through sexual contact, says study

Researchers have found that Zika virus is capable of replicating and spreading infectious particles within the outermost cells lining the vaginal tract.

The findings imply the deadly virus can move from person to person through sexual contact, though it is primarily spread by mosquitoes.

Researchers have long been aware of the potential of Zika virus for sexual transmission based on cases in which people became infected after having sex with a partner who had visited an affected area.

Previous studies have also found Zika particles present in semen and vaginal fluid from infected individuals.

For the current study, published in the journal FASEB Journal, Athe research examined how Zika particles behaved in cultures of human vaginal epithelial cells and identified the virus's likely entry point as a protein on the surface of the cells called tyrosine-protein kinase receptor UFO, which is encoded by the AXL gene.

The virus is still considered a health threat in many places around the world. Babies born to mothers infected with Zika have a high risk of birth defects.The findings showed that Zika virus particles were able to successfully enter vaginal epithelial cells through the UFO receptor, replicate their RNA genome and steadily release infectious viral particles inside the cells.